Hybrid
by RazaraTheFirst
Summary: "You're an embodiment of power and ancient glory that has reigned since time began. Possibly before that...You're perfect." Magic? Demons? I'd have called you crazy. Yet I was thrown right into the middle of it all. Isn't life just great? (Really AU and OOC here. It's necessary. Whole family is involved, but, you know, character limits.) Rated T for cussing and demonic themes.
1. Chapter 1 - Through Another's Eyes

**First story. Here it is.  
**

**Warning: This goes so far AU that you might find yourself reeling. I'm not kidding. It involves common ideas from other stories or shows - feel free to mention them in reviews. Why not? But, in the end, it is a Lab Rats story. A strange one, but what can you do? It's unique to this place.  
**

**Warning 2: This is rated T for a reason. Cussing, demons, yada yada. It gets pretty wild.**

**And thus: Evil voice, would you care to do the honors?**

_**"Lab Rats and anything you recognize isn't owned by RazaraTheFirst. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**_

* * *

_"Learn what you are and be such."_

_**Pindar (522-438 BC) – Greek Poet**_

* * *

_"The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated."_

_**William James**_

* * *

**Chapter One - Through Another's Eyes**

In a gust of icy wind that blew papers around the room, the candles were suddenly extinguished. Frost began to edge and grow along the floor, ceiling and walls as thin tendrils of fog rose from the ground around us, smelling faintly of fire and sulfur.

Hey, it was my first call. I wanted to scare the idiot. I mean, who finds a part-demon bionic entity and says, "Hey, I'll summon _this_ guy!"

It wasn't like I wasn't in a bad mood _already_ today. Exactly three months ago, I had run from home to protect my family after….

Let's just call it "The Accident." I don't want to explain it now. It gets complicated. Just know it involved an old college invention – dubbed the "Daven-Demon Portal" – that both Donald and Douglas had worked on when obsessed with demons (don't ask why), me messing with it and accidentally making it work, and it giving me a hard shock when I was stupid enough to stick my hand in the light it generated, and me finally waking up as a half-demon hybrid. Details beyond that get very sketchy, and since I barely started believing in demons, I honestly didn't really know them myself.

I just gagged a little at that. _Me, _not knowing something. Ew! I think I need a shower to wash _that _blasphemy off.

I think I just heard someone ask me why I ran. Well, valued customer – reader, actually – let's think about this: I was part _demon._ I seriously had a little voice in my head that told me what I should do in some situations. It usually delighted in telling me to cause exceeding amounts of trouble. I tended to disagree with it – unlike Spike – but it was still there. And, since I barely had control over what powers I had gained, I panicked and bolted after lighting the portal on fire with my bear hands. Looking in a mirror hadn't helped, either. Black cat ears where mine used to be, a freaking black cat tail, and raven wings (I hadn't actually discovered the wings until later, when I finally pulled my shirt off to replace it with a new one). Slit pupils and sharp canine teeth didn't make the image easier to bare. I not only heard evil voices, I _looked the part._ Not something I wanted people to really _see_. So, not wanting to hurt anyone, I did the most logical thing I could think of at the moment: I _bailed_.

In the three months on the run, I had gained fairly decent control of my powers – the ones I knew of, anyways – and had learned how to change my form around to look like anything. I could look like my old self again, if I wanted to. (I'll explain more on that one later, though, because I couldn't do it all the time. Not to mention my awesome power to break the fourth wall.) I didn't, however, expect to be _summoned._

This, I will explain. You see, demons usually live in this alternate realm I like to call the Underworld because I _can _call it that. And, there, anyone who searches hard enough can find any demon. However, since I lived in our world, no one _ should've _been able to find me. Only those who knew I existed in the first place and figured out what my name was.

Because when you call a demon, you don't use regular names like "Chase." You used their real names. It's much more descriptive and belongs only to that one demon. Since no one knew about me, though – not even my family – _no one should have been able to summon me at all._

Yet my essence – the stuff that makes our form and allows us to shape shift – began to gather inside a Summoning Circle. How _quaint._

When I had finally arrived in all my awesome glory, I had my eyes narrowed and teeth bared, arms crossed across my chest to look tough and possibly try to scare this guy further.

But the tough act was quickly exchanged for stunned when I saw my lovely caller in the Summoner's Circle not ten feet away from me: _Douglas freaking Davenport. _

And he didn't look scared. Just triumphant and excited. "I did it!" he cheered, throwing his arms up like a football referee signaling that a field goal was scored. "I'm awesome!" He paused and gestured at me. "_You _look awesome!"

I watched carefully. He didn't cross out of his circle, though, which meant I was still stuck in mine. My surprise was quickly giving way to suspicion and mistrust, though. "How did you get me here?"

He rolled his eyes. "I summoned you," he said slowly, as if speaking with an idiot. "_Duh."_

"I kind of figured that part out," I growled. "Care to elaborate?"

He shrugged. "Donnie's security cameras aren't hard to hack into. I saw your accident. It wasn't hard to figure out why you ran. So I finally discovered your name and decided to call you up." He grinned again and placed a hand on his chest. "A month of non-stop work, and here you are. How great am I?"

Good god, Donald and Douglas were _definitely_ related. "I thought you dropped the study of demons in lieu of reality," I said, beginning to examine the lines of the circles around us for any wobbles or breaks, hoping that Douglas had messed up _somewhere_. All the patterns, shapes, and runes were perfectly drawn.

"Donnie did," Douglas explained, watching me as I swept my eyes over the perfectly – aligned candles. "I stuck with it. I finally figured out how to summon about a year ago. It's really easy. Anyone can do it, if they pay enough attention." I let out a frustrated growl as I finished eyeing the incense – rosemary, sandalwood, lavender; scents like that which I enjoyed, but would drive a full demon up a wall – and noticed that it was all perfectly set up. Seeming to notice what I was doing for the first time, he smiled. "No, Chasey; you're not getting out. I made sure."

I let my vision filter through the nine different planes I could see, examining the magic barrier that ran along my circle's edge for even the tiniest hole – if he had said one word out-of-order, I'd be able to slip out and run - before, upon finding it air-tight, I just sat down with crisscrossed legs, my tail in my lap and my hands on my knees. I had to admit: The man knew his shit.

Hold up, I hear another explanation coming on! We all exist on planes. The one you see every day is the first plane of existence. Now, imagine that, underneath this plane, there exists another. And another under that. And another under _that._ And each one, were you to peel away the plane before it, would show something new to the viewer. I could see down to the ninth level of these, if I wanted to. The ring around me? On planes 1 – 4, it was invisible. But from 5 on, it started to get more and more pronounced. I imagined that, if I could go down a hundred planes, it would shine like ten suns. But, on plane nine, it was bright enough that I could check it for flaws.

More on planes later, though, my students!

Anyways, I had finally just sat down in the circle, giving a sigh as I finally asked, "Why did you bring me here?"

"Well," Douglas began, "partly because you're my son and I wanted to see you again. But also because I'm curious!" He pulled a small notepad and pen from his jacket pocket. "Have you been to the demon world? What's it like? And how do you change forms? Does your power have limits? And your essence: Is it –"

"Stop," I cut him off, pinching the bridge of my nose and looking down. "You called me here because you're _curious?_"

"Well, _yeah,"_ he answered. "I mean, I asked regular demons, but they don't like to answer. And the little weak ones that _do_ answer can only explain it in their terms. But _you_ had to learn how it worked, so you can explain it better! And you won't kill me in the process!"

I looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that last one?"

I smiled halfway when I saw him pale slightly, even though he tried to maintain a bored demeanor. "Listen: I know I went a little far with my Triton App, but I'd rather not order you to do anything while you're in the circle." He actually grimaced a bit. "It looks like it hurts you guys. So this would go so much easier if you cooperated."

I wasn't sure that it would hurt, but I _would_ have to do what he said if he ordered it. The words that created the magical barrier also bound our will to the summoner's, so we would have to obey. However, that didn't stop us from doing it our way. That's where people get in trouble with us. I frowned. "You just want me to answer your questions? Nothing else? Not hurt my family or anything?"

He shook his head. Then, after a second, he quietly asked, "I'm a little curious as to why you ran away from home, though. What, didn't think Donnie would want you around or something?"

I shrugged. "I'm a _monster,_" I informed him. Seriously, how dense could he be? "I didn't want to hurt them."

"But you're _not_ a monster," Douglas said after a few seconds of silence. "Demons aren't monsters, and neither are you. You're an embodiment of power and ancient glory that has reigned since time began. Possibly before that. You're a part of a great and majestic legacy. You're _perfect."_

I met his eyes, not really all that surprised by this. I mean, the guy might have a soft spot for his kids – Adam, Bree, and myself - but he was still evil. So it came as no shock to me that he thought of demons as less-than-benevolent creatures of beauty. "Demons are _evil_, and I'm no exception, if I listen to my inner voice," I informed him.

"You're a marvelous being," Douglas informed me, his eyes filled with what I hoped wasn't pride. _Sick, sick_ pride. "Sure, you have the dark, mischievous side of demons, but you have your human conscience countering it. You're a balance of good and evil. Two sides of one coin, yin and yang; literally, however you want to put it."

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying his praise just a bit. I hadn't actually ever received much before. However, I forced myself to ignore the urge to get him to keep saying nice things. "If I answer your questions, will you let me go?"

Douglas nodded, throwing his hands up in surrender. "Sure," he agreed. Then, he smiled a bit. "Unless you want to stay, of course."

"You'll summon me if you want me again?" I translated bluntly.

He let out a snort of laughter. "That, too. But I'd still let you go."

I frowned deeper. "You'll leave my family alone?"

"Yes, yes," he assured, sounding like he was quickly becoming impatient. "Are you going to answer me or not?"

After a moment, I let out a very dramatic sigh – because I could - and finally gave in. "What do you want to know?"

* * *

Oddly enough, I began to enjoy myself. Hours passed, and I explained everything I had figured out to him while he took notes like a mad man on crack.

And I? I was enjoying the attention, honestly. It had been exactly three months, seven hours, twenty-nine minutes and fifty-four seconds since anyone had really been kind to me – no one liked homeless teens, sadly enough – and far longer than that since someone actually appreciated what I had to say when it didn't directly benefit themselves. It was _nice._ I mean, come on; no one likes to be ignored.

What's more is that I actually started to like Douglas a bit more as each question steered away from my family – which struck me as surprising, considering who Douglas was – and stayed more on me and my demonic half. He was amusing at times, actually enjoyed my intelligence – which only Mr. Davenport used to do, before he stopped really hanging out with me, for some reason – and constantly pointed out how much he liked my strange physiology and that he thought I should, too.

Yes, I craved kindness and attention. Yes, I craved intelligent conversation. Yes, I craved acceptance. I craved at least one day where someone I spoke with _didn't pick on me,_ but rather enjoyed my company and actually worked to build me up. He offered all those things. Kind of wish I'd seen it after that stupid avalanche – that would've spared me a lot of grief - but better late than never, right?

So I was a bit sad when he finally put his notepad back in his jacket. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" he asked with a grin. I rolled my eyes and jumped to my feet as he crouched a bit, raising his hands to chest-level theatrically. Could someone please get in here and appreciate this man's showmanship with me so I didn't look like a foolish, lone fan girl? "All right," he said. "You helped me. Now it's my turn." He began to recite a Dismissal, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

I felt my eyes widen. Douglas really _was_ going to free me. Wow, someone who kept promises? I felt myself begin to fade slightly. He would just summon me again when he wanted me, right? So….

"Wait," I hissed loudly.

He broke off instantly with a frown. "You know, interrupting someone is –"

"Dangerous, I know," I interrupted. "But it was just a Dismissal. Besides, if you'd just summon me again…." I looked at my feet, feeling myself blush a bit with embarrassment as I mumbled out the rest.

"Didn't hear that," Douglas informed me.

"I…I want to stay?" I said more loudly, looking as him this time. It came out as more of a question, but whatever. And I felt my cheeks redden more at the idea that I was probably breaking major demonic laws by even requesting to stay at all.

But Douglas just smiled at me. "It's nice to feel wanted, isn't it?"

I swallowed hard and nodded. "Is there a way to release me, but I stay here?"

Douglas, however, just held a finger to his lips to signal that I should be quiet. Then, as I watched, he began to recite something similar to the Dismissal, but slightly different. For starters, the binds that held my will to his fell away. I was free to do whatever I wanted. Then, as he continued, the magical wall that held me in the circle began to waver and fade away. As much as I was glad that he was letting me go, I was a tad worried at this point. That he hadn't set up any type of protective spells around himself was a major show of trust on his part. Seriously; what he was doing was akin to pulling on a tiger's tail with a steak tied around his neck. I mean, when that barrier was down fully, I could incinerate him in seconds and go on about my day.

And don't say I didn't because I'm too sweet to attack him.

I am not sweet.

I am the shadows of hell.

I haunt nightmares.

I kick puppies in my spare time.

I eat babies for breakfast.

Not really.

_But don't call me sweet._ Demons aren't _sweet,_ I tells ya!

With a small whisper of sound, the barrier fully dissipated. "There you go," Douglas said, stepping out of his circle.

_You'll be doing the world and yourself a favor if you kill him now._

Great. My little demon voice was back. _He saved my life twice,_ I informed the little pest, remembering back to being dug from the avalanche and then later to Krane's attack on the Lab.

_He's a wicked man, _it countered. _He travels in the demonic world._

_ I'm half – demonic,_ I argued. _He travels in _my _world. Possibly more than I do._

_ He only wants a slave._

_ Yet he set me free?_

_ He doesn't appreciate you._

_ No,_ I found myself thinking with a shocking amount of bitterness. _My family didn't appreciate me. Last I checked, no one bothered to look for me._ It was true. I hadn't even seen a lost kid poster or anything. It was like they didn't want me back at all. _Besides, Douglas listens when I talk and _likes _my demonic side. He isn't scared of me at all._

_ Kill him,_ the voice ordered. _Now! Show your power to this foolish mortal! How dare he even summon you at all?_

That little voice was all over the place. I shook my head hard to dispel it and stepped out of my circle as well, my hands clasped behind my back as I closed the distance between Douglas and myself. He smiled a bit and rested a hand on my shoulder. I was surprised to find him trembling a bit. A few more details – how pale he was and the obvious relief in his eyes – made me finally realize that he had been afraid that I would charge. So he actually did respect how powerful I was. Any other demon would've caught onto it instantly. They can smell fear. I had been denied that ability, sadly, so I had to get a bit close to him to see it. (Sue me; the only light was coming from the candles I _hadn't_ put out when I made my entrance.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit pleased with that feeling of power.

I was snapped from my thoughts when Douglas, with a gentle smile, said, "Welcome home, Chasey."

* * *

**There you have it. Feel free to review. **

**Or don't. Whatever works. But if it's about grammar mistakes, feel free to _not._ That's just getting irritating with how it's flooding this site.**

**English is hard. Live with this fact. I could probably nit-pick your stories apart too, nay-sayers. :D But I'd rather enjoy reading it instead of annoying myself hunting punctuation and syntax errors. (These reviews will most likely be deleted to spare everyone the annoyance.)  
**

**Flames welcome. I'll most likely ignore you, but whatever makes you feel better about yourself. (No, flaming will _not_ be deleted. Have at it!)**

**Hopefully, my special brand of bluntness doesn't offend. If it does, I would say sorry, but I'm not. Toughen up, Buttercup.**

**And enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	2. Chapter 2 - Cat and Sparrow

**Yeah, so here's chapter 2. More of a filler thing, but it's there. I'm not necessarily pleased with it, but I am pleased with where the story will hopefully end up. ****I am, however, a bit warm and fuzzy at the reviews, favorites, and follows. **

**Guest: _Rock on! Don't let the man keep us down!_**

**Drake Cox: I sent a few answers you your PM. Hopefully that helps. :)  
**

**KrisKat: Isn't he just a bundle of freaking awesome?**

**Klausgirl4055 and Beverlie4055: Thanks.**

** .life426(It won't let me type your full name, I'm afraid): Hopefully, this chapter sates some of your curiosity.**

**Vampire Girl: The demons are coming and - *clears throat* - I'm not going to throw in a fucking cuss word in every god damned sentence just to amuse you. Shit! (Enjoy. ;3)**

**AllAmericanSlurp: Aye, demons. Who doesn't love 'em sometimes? :3 Evil little buggers.**

**Thanks to all of the above, and those of you who didn't review but still like the story. Or didn't, but read it anyways. :D**

**So, Warning: Demons, Cussing; You know, teen stuff.**

**Hmmm...who to get to do it this time...I think I'll let -**

**"Lab Rats and anything you recognize isn't Zara's! If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers!"**

**o_o Or Leo can do it. That works, too.**

* * *

_"Some people will never ever appreciate your presence until your absence becomes permanent."_

**Terry Mark**

* * *

_"In difficult times, we're not supposed to quit believing; we're not supposed to quit growing."_

**Joel Osteen**

* * *

**Chapter Two – Cat and Sparrow**

**_Leo_**

Everyone was uncharacteristically quiet. Adam was half-heartedly watching some stupid cartoon, sitting on the couch upside down, his legs hanging over the top and his head almost on the floor. Bree was watching her phone, which hadn't rang or buzzed with messages for a few weeks now.

Leo had to forcibly restrain himself from screaming at the top of his lungs at his two remaining siblings. He had to bite down the demand that they do something. Because he missed Chase, too. They weren't the only ones suffering! Month-aversaries sucked – Chase's missing month-aversary was yesterday - but moping about wouldn't bring Chase home. He wanted to urge them to go out, hunt harder, search farther.

But he didn't. He couldn't. They had run themselves ragged for a week after Chase vanished. Mr. Davenport literally had to lock them in their capsules for a day just to get them to rest for once. After that, the search had continued, but more slowly. Their efforts started to lack enthusiasm, their determination began to fade to pessimism. As Mr. Davenport worked to track Chase down – the shock from whatever that burnt shell of a machine was had taken out a few parts of Chase's bionics, including the GPS – Adam's and Bree's will to find their younger brother faded into blind hope that he would just _come home._

And they thought they had it bad? Leo had been banned from looking by his mother, who was a bit over-protective after the whole "Krane" incident. He had been forced to either mope around, watch Mr. Davenport work, or try to maintain some routine in this time of crisis.

Because that's what it was: A crisis. No one wanted to say it, but everyone was silently agreeing that Chase was most likely dead or close to it.

Why? Because Krane was still out there. Somewhere. And who knew where the hell Douglas stood in all of this?! He was a tricky guy.

That was part of what made the search so difficult: No one wanted to let Douglas and Krane know that one of them had separated and was now an easier target. So there was no help for them. No volunteers, no police, no "have-you-seen-this-kid?" hunts, no nothing. Just relentless searching – which had been given up on about a month before – and Mr. Davenport's false dream that he could actually repair Chase's bionics remotely.

In the meantime, they could do nothing. And Leo was watching it eat them all alive.

Maybe he couldn't pull Chase out of thin air, but….

A second more passed before Leo finally stood up from his seat at the dining table, his mind made up. He quickly walked to the kitchen island where Bree was seated and picked up her phone. "Hey!" she snapped, instantly reaching for it. The result was a minute-long struggle for possession of the item, during which Leo was typing madly.

"Get 'im, Bree!" Adam cheered from the couch, watching this display like he had never seen anything so entertaining. He actually ended up slipping from his semi-precarious perch and landing on his side on the floor as he craned his head to watch. The resulting crash distracted Bree long enough for Leo to finally hit send.

"Ha!" he triumphantly declared, holding the phone high in the air.

Bree snatched it from his hand with a huff and immediately searched through it. "What did you do, you little…." Her eyes widened when she finally saw what Leo had done. After a second, she glared at him, looking angry and almost horrified. "I can't go on a _date_!"

"You can now," Leo declared stubbornly. "Look, you've been all pouty and upset for a while now. And, quite frankly, it's driving me up a wall. Yes, I'm sad he's gone, too. But would he want you to stop living and be sad forever just for him?" When she didn't answer, Leo continued, rapidly gaining steam. "No, he wouldn't! He would want you to go do something to make yourself happy!"

Bree stared at him for a long moment before she sighed. "Right," she replied, still looking miserable.

"Damn straight, I'm right!" Leo declared. He pointed towards the Lab's hidden elevator. "Mr. Davenport will make sure to call you if something comes up. Until then, _go do something._ You're making me depressed!" He winced. "I mean, I already have enough problems fitting in. I don't need you to turn emo."

Bree smiled a bit and punched his shoulder gently. "I'm not turning emo!"

Leo smiled made a shooing motion with his hands. "Then go have fun with your boyfriend! Owen expects to pick you up in –" he checked the clock – "one hour."

_"One hour!?"_ Bree screeched, looking panicked. "You didn't tell him two? I can't get ready in one hour!" She vanished down to the Lab in a whirlwind of color and sound.

_One down,_ Leo thought as he turned to Adam, who was picking himself up off the floor. "You and I," he said, "are going to the yogurt shop."

Adam scrunched his nose up in confusion. "Why?"

Leo threw his arms wide. "Hello? They have yogurt."

Adam broke into a wide grin. Leo was relieved; he didn't see Adam smile as much as he used to. "Good enough for me," Adam informed him. He tossed his head to crack his neck – which was no doubt stiff, since he had been upside down on the couch for thirty minutes – before nodding at the door. "Come on."

Leo nodded and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Mom," he called. "Adam and I are going to the yogurt shop!"

Tasha's response came from upstairs. "Be home by eight!"

"Got it, Tasha!" Adam called out. "I'll guard you, Buddy," he said more quietly to Leo.

"I wasn't worried about it, but okay," Leo said with a shrug. Ever since Chase went missing, Adam had kept a very close eye and Leo and Bree. Leo liked to think that it was because Adam was oldest.

Leo also had to acknowledge that it was most likely because Adam didn't want to lose _another _sibling on his watch. He had felt bad enough watching the footage of Chase running away – a blurry, fiery mess that took all of a split second and surprised even Bree with how short the time between the shock and Chase being out the door was – and seemed to cling to their sides after that. Maybe to ease the guilt that he was a bit hard on his other younger brother?

_Don't worry about it right now,_ Leo thought forcefully as he followed Adam out the door to the elder's car. Neither said anything to one another, but Leo could tell that Adam was a bit relieved to be focusing on something other than Chase for once. And, as Adam pulled out of the driveway and started babbling randomly about Spongebob – "_Snails don't meow!"_ – Leo half-listened and let his eyes wander across the lawn, occasionally nodding to appease the elder. He almost sighed. The grass was green and lovely. The sky was clear and blue. A gentle breeze blew through the area, ruffling the fur of a small, care-free black cat that was nipping its side near the gate. It was all just so peaceful, like nothing was wrong.

_If only_, Leo thought with a slight bitterness at the irony of the scene. _If only._

* * *

_"Tired of being stepped on, tired of being unappreciated and so fucking tired of being disrespected by everyone."_

**Unknown**

* * *

_"Don't worry about how you will get there, just trust that your Angels are helping you on your way."_

**Unknown**

* * *

**_Chase_**

You know, it's kind of nice to sit back and not care sometimes.

At least, that's how I justified lazily sitting by the front gate of the Davenport mansion in the guise of a cat. I couldn't go in the yard without Eddy hitting me with the sprinklers or Bree declaring that I was her new pet, but I _could_ watch them from out here. I mean, I couldn't stay a cat forever. And I was pretty sure that they wouldn't let me back into the family fold that easily, with the whole "Douglas" situation and all. But I could haunt their gate like good demons do.

Because we haunt stuff. Because we're awesome like that.

With that simple logic, I ended up outside the gate for an hour. Partially to waste time until Douglas got back to his small house – he was running some kind of "Let's hunt Krane down!" errand or something like that (I didn't really pay attention, since it was unlikely to go anywhere so soon) – but mostly to still feel close to them. I mean, it wasn't like I had _run away_ or anything. Not I!

A particularly fierce itch flared up on my left side. Right near my freaking tail. With a frustrated sigh, I sat up and started nipping at it.

That right there is why I couldn't stay looking like my old self all the time. Holding a form other than our own becomes quite painful after a few hours. Sure, it starts with an itch, but it progresses to a throb. Then a hard pinch. Then friggin' _stabbing, _after a while. It gets pretty bad. And that, kiddos, is why I couldn't maintain my old appearance. No, the stupid demonic parts were here to stay.

What can you do, really?

Of course, right in the middle of scratching said itch, the gate opens and Adam's car rolls past. I look up after a few seconds just to find out that Leo had watched me _practically_ _chewing on my ass_ for a moment. Trust me, if a cat could blush, I'd be _all_ over it. I mean, come on. Leo might not know it's me, but _I_ sure did. Take one point from the demon etiquette board or whatever the hell happened in that stupid Harry Potter series when someone messed up.

And can I just go on a rant here? Humans can't do magic! Not the flashy kind, anyways. If you see someone shoot a fireball from their hands, there is likely an imp sitting on their shoulder making it happen. I mean, shields, magic lights, fire balls, so on: All us, baby. But do _we_ get the credit?

_Noooooooooooooo._

It's the awesome _conjurer_'_s_ doing. Never the demons'. Isn't life fun sometimes?

_You could cause the car to burst into flames!_

Did this voice ever stop? _I'm not going to light the car on fire._

_ The small one humiliated you,_ my little "friend" hissed. _Make him pay for it._

I flicked my ears. _He did not. He had no idea that I'm me._

_ If you listened to _me_, the _world _would know who you were._

I snorted and started tapping my tail irritably. _No. If I listened to you, half the city would be ashes._

_I'm not seeing the problem with that._

I rose to all fours and shook myself vigorously, now ignoring my inner voice. I decided to follow Leo – and presumably Adam, since it was his car – to at least slightly appease myself. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little peeved that they were going somewhere when I was still out here. Selfish, I know, but like I said before: They never bothered to look. I feel like I'm entitled to a slight bit of a pity party here. I let cat guise weaken, eventually feeling like I could literally be carried away on the breeze like a puff of smoke before I pulled myself together as a small raven. It'd be easier to keep up with them if I was flying, after all. Flapping oh-so-gracefully (_not)_ until I caught an updraft, I started flying after them. It wasn't that hard to keep up. I could avoid traffic, unlike them.

Unless a random flock of real birds flew by.

I wonder what would happen if I ate one? Just snatched it out of midair. Would the rest scatter? Or would they be too stupid to realize that one of their own – me - is actually a predator?

Note to self: Find the answer to this question someday.

Yes, I did occasionally get the urge to randomly eat things – not that I ever indulged it, mind you. Particularly rodents and small birds. Better than full demons, who preyed on smaller demonic beings at times.

So bite me, over-zealous PETA fanatics. Fish gotta swim, demon's gotta eat. It's nature.

And can I just mention how many demons there were running around? I mean, on the first few planes, some guy could be walking his dog or a fly could be sitting on your table like a nuisance. But on the lower planes, the dog could be a strong demon known as an afrit – these critters were far stronger than I was – guarding his summoner, or the fly could be an imp – weak little buggers that _wished_ they were as strong as I am – sent to spy. It got pretty strange, seeing the world like that for the first time. I was taken aback by how many of us there were. Granted, I was used to it now, but day one, it was a totally mind-blowing experience. In fact, two or three other birds I passed while following Adam and Leo were demons themselves, rushing off a various forced errands.

….Except for one sparrow, who seemed to be following Adam and Leo, too….

That was a slightly alarming development.

Flitting through the planes – it was only a sparrow on planes 1 – 6 – I noted that it was a weak little imp. Also that it wasn't one of the two that Douglas tended to keep around for small things. So who did it answer to? Me being badass without even knowing it, I had ended up behind the bugger. Which meant, since it wasn't aware that I was around, it was spy time for me, as well! What fun! That's _totally_ what I wanted to waste my time on today: Tracking a stupid imp.

_You could just kill it._

I watched Adam and Leo pull into the parking lot of the little yogurt shop that had opened barely a year or so back while thinking about that suggestion. It was actually a good idea, even if it disturbed me a bit. I took the opportunity to land on the sidewalk outside the store. Adam and Leo exited the vehicle – god, I sounded like a safety video there – and passed me without a second glance. Of course they would. I was just a little raven, sitting on the sidewalk, minding my own business. I tried to ignore them talking – they seemed happy enough, which should've made _me_ happy, but ironically didn't – and focused instead on the imp.

Who screeched in terror and veered off upon noticing me.

I didn't blame the little thing. I mean, I was more powerful than it was. And it didn't even have to know where I came from. We could just tell where we stood compared to one another.

I watched it fly away and elected to just let it go this time, since I really wasn't fond of the idea of killing anything. Besides, at least it would let its summoner know that these two were guarded.

_Yes,_ my voice hissed sarcastically. _You let an imp go with the story that a half-breed is guarding these oblivious mortals._

_ What's wrong with that?_ I ruffled my feathers a bit indignantly. _It should fear me. I'm _me,_ for christ's sake._

_ Until its master sends something bigger than you along just to take their guard out,_ came the very logical response.

It was followed by a lot of cussing in my mind that amounted to: _I should've killed the thing. I fucked up because it knows I exist now._

And I couldn't guard my family forever. I had to rest at some point.

So I needed backup. And, as I took off into the air again, I had a feeling I knew someone who would be rather interested to learn that demons were being sent after his kids.

* * *

**There it is. Chapter two. **

**Review. Or don't. Whatever works. :)**

**The thing is, I probably won't update all that fast. Maybe once a week or so, usually a Tuesday or Wednesday. But I _will_ try to get it up as I get it written.**

**Flames welcome. (Haters gonna hate. :3)**

**Note to readers: I have issues writing about the Davenport family. Not sure why. It's difficult for me. So it's rather short up there with them. Sorry.**

**Enjoy.**

***bows and exits***


	3. Chapter 3 - Waiting and Watching

**Back with Chapter 3. **

**I'm a tad upset with how short Adam's part is in this, but I thought that it made up for it in awesome. Hopefully draws out some feels.**

**Reviewers, line up and listen! This Author's Note is about to turn quite serious. I would put it at the bottom, but I feel that everyone should read this.  
**

**KickandBelli**

**I must confess: I was ready for a troll war. Nothing says "entertaining" like two trolls going back and forth. I thank you for your compliment, but would like to offer you this: I've been writing for nigh on eight years. I am probably older than the vast majority of people in this fandom, with which I am all right (I will not be revealing my age, but it's not just stupid high. High school ended for me just a couple of years ago). However, it is important to note that, when I was around 15 or 16 years old, my writing was nowhere near the caliber of some of the teens posting here today. In fact, I read back on an old book I wrote and started laughing at how bad it was. And I wouldn't be at my level today were it not for a friend of mine, with whom I've sadly lost touch. She put up with my crap almost non-stop for four years, gave me advice that helped. For the stories I wrote were merely the whetting stones upon which I honed my skill. And these authors here are using the same stone in this forum, practicing to become better. It is not helpful to them to tell them to stop. **

**Note the following, everyone: Whether or not her illness is fake, or if this KickandBelli isn't real, I still don't want to hear anything else about it. The matter is resolved. Keep it out of here. (Still look up Asperger's Syndrome, if you're curious. It's good to learn sometimes.) No, I don't think mental illness is a valid excuse for lashing out exceedingly. **

**Also know that, if you have a mental illness, you are by no means alone.**

** I wish it to remain a place where peace exists and serve as a reminder that not everyone will agree with you, but it is important to have respect for one another and get along (note Douglas and Chase). Otherwise, the world will continue its downward slide into the sorry state it's already in. (And, for the record, I'm not a hippie. I fucking hate hippies. I just kind of want the world to _not_ suck for once. This might as well serve as a safe haven. Tacky reviews _will_ be deleted _on sight._ You were warned.)  
**

**The rest of my reviewers**

**Thank you so much. I appreciate you all. :3 *Caught the warm, fuzzy feels of feelings***

**Now that I've bored you with my novel up there, allow me to present Chapter 3 before you turn into rabid dogs and eat me alive. **

**Who's ready for a Chouglas moment? (Hate that name. Prefer "Chalas" because I can pronounce it like "chalice." But what can ya do?) Oly? Yahn? Tell the readers.**

**"Zara does not own Lab Rats or anything you recognize."**

**"If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

_"Every father should remember that one day his son will follow his example instead of his advice."_

**Charles F Kettering**

* * *

_"An effective father devotes himself to become an instrument and model of human experience to his children... accepts and affirms his children for who they are, appreciates them for what they are accomplishing, and covers them with affection because they are his."_

**Gordon MacDonald**

* * *

**Chapter 3 - Waiting and Watching**

**_Chase_**

I leaned against the wall, my long tail tapping the floor as I watched Douglas. He was sitting at the kitchen table with furrowed brow, his elbows on the wooden surface and his hands clasped into fists in front of his mouth as the mess of papers in front of him lay forgotten in the wake of my discovery. I shifted my weight to one heel, wishing he would say something rather than sit there, looking like he was trying to solve a calculus problem or something. It didn't help my mood that his two imps – a steel-blue colored, gargoyle-looking pair called Oly and Yahn in lieu of their unpronounceable names (Ajiiyahn and Olyanaeci were their full names. Just insanely unpronounceable, am I right? I mean, mine was a few words long, but at least it meant something. _And_ you could say it!) – were irritating the hell out of me because their actual master was busy.

Honestly, the two couldn't be more different. Yahn spent his time literally _begging_ to serve. At the moment, he was examining my wings with a critical eye. "I can brush the dust off," he squeaked hopefully. "Your feathers would glow!"

I rolled my eyes. Because I was stronger than him, he often wanted to serve me, as well. Some kind of "please don't kill me" thing. It was awkward, to be honest.

_It is right that he should serve you._

At least _someone_ liked the excessive attention.

And then there was Oly, who was curled up on the top of a bookshelf at the moment, trying to sleep. Getting her to follow orders willingly was like trying to fill a bucket with a hole in the bottom. Seriously, Douglas spent more time telling her _not_ to do some things. She currently opened one yellow eye to glare at Yahn. "Shut the fuck up!" she snapped.

"Don't start fighting," Douglas half-heartedly said with a slight wave, already bored with their antics.

Both winced – apparently, being forced to follow orders _was_ painful – but their reactions after that were different. Yahn nodded vigorously. "Right away!"

Oly, however, closed her eye again and muttered, "He's not worth my time, anyways."

I frowned and pointed at them. "Why do you even keep these guys around?"

"Because Master is generous!" Yahn supplied, his voice very reverent on the word "master." Across the room, Oly scoffed loudly.

Douglas raised an eyebrow at me. "Do you want to do all the leg work?"

"I'll learn to love them," I declared immediately. No way in hell would I be fast enough alone. Besides, I could always just threaten to eat them if they became unbearable.

_Why threaten?_

I shook my head a bit. "What leg work, though?" I asked.

At this, Douglas looked a bit sheepish. "Well, you know how Krane and I were partners? Funny story…."

I found myself deadpanning at him, my ears lowered a bit. "You didn't teach him how to summon, did you?" Because that would be bad. I mean, think about it: A stupidly-powerful guy with a stupidly-powerful afrit at his back? Might as well give a nuclear bomb to the guy!

Douglas shook his head instantly. "Of course not," he protested indignantly. "I'm not an _idiot._"

"You _did_ give him bionics…." I pointed out.

Douglas snorted, but was smiling anyways. "Smartass. Anyways, he did get me to summon a few things other than an imp sometimes." He pursed his lips. "He must have found another summoner." Almost to himself, he mused, "What are you up to, Krane?"

"Wait," I said, raising an hand up with my palm flat out in the universal "hold the flying fuck up" gesture. "How do we even know Krane is behind this?"

"You've made other enemies?" Douglas countered.

Well, that was like a slap in the face. I should have been about to come up with _that _line of reasoning. I tried to suppress the slight heat rising in my cheeks at being shown up. I let a second pass before speaking again. "So, what do we do for now?" I crossed my arms again. "What's to stop a random djinni from swooping in and eating my – wait, our - family?"

"I've been thinking," Douglas began.

"Don't exaggerate," I said quickly in the pause after his words.

He chuckled again. At least he was a good sport about it. "Right now, these two are going to guard them," he explained, sweeping a hand across the room to indicate both Yahn and Oly.

I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose and looking down. "They're screwed."

_I agree._

Hey, we were on the same page for once! Who froze Hell?!

A light thump on my chest made me look at Douglas again. "Cheer up," he said, now leaning back in his seat. "I wouldn't keep Oly and Yahn around if they were totally useless." He gave me a wink, indicating that he knew something I didn't.

Frowning, I glanced at Yahn, who was scurrying over to the table. "You dropped this, Master," he said formally, even bowing as he presented a rubber band to Douglas.

Douglas chuckled and took the small prize. "Thanks."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Did you shoot me with that?"

He pointed to Yahn. "He saw me drop it," Douglas claimed, his eyes widened to show false innocence. "Right, Yahn?"

Yahn obediently nodded.

I pinned my cat-like ears with annoyance. "Dropped it. Right."

_You should "drop" the arrogant fool!_ My voice snapped. _Maybe suffocation? Or turning him inside out?_

_ You are _not_ allowed to make suggestions anymore!_ I answered with some horror, willing myself not to gag at the mental image of the last suggestion.

Douglas chuckled a bit before he leaned forward again. "Oly: Come here."

Oly jumped like someone had prodded her with a needle before she stretched – raking her claws across the top of the shelf in the process – and finally jumped down, joining Yahn near Douglas. "What?" she whined. "You're interrupting my nap."

"Guard the Davenport mansion and all its occupants," Douglas said firmly. "Protect them everywhere they go. Report back here if you see any other demons or find out anything new that might be useful. But one of you is to stay with them _always._ And _do not hurt them._" At this, Oly began to snicker. Douglas gave an exasperated sigh. "Yes, Oly: Laugh all you want, but I'm talking to _you._ Now go."

The two imps winced, but recovered quickly. "On it!" Yahn called as he spun around and bounded out of the room, headed for the door.

Oly, however, shuffled out with a sarcastic growl. "Goody. Just what I wanted: Guard duty around a bunch of stupid humans."

"Strange little guys," Douglas mused after they were gone. Then he picked up a paper in front of him and started to study it.

I pushed away from the wall with my shoulder and cleared my throat. When he didn't respond, I waved. "Hello?"

"Hi there," he responded, chuckling at his own joke.

I let out a frustrated growl. "What can_ I_ do?"

"Nothing," Douglas answered with a shrug.

Let me tell you how close I was to launching myself across the room at him. "_Nothing!?_ You can't honestly expect me to sit here and do _nothing!" _I yelped, gesturing wildly.

"Can and do," he replied, finally meeting my eyes over the top of his paper. "If I recall correctly – which I _always_ do – you're as much of a target as your siblings. And I don't want you out there if you're being threatened."

"But _I_ can see it coming," I protested. "I should be protecting them, too, at least! I have Oly and Yahn beat, and you know it."

"If you want to do something, help me find Krane." He shook the paper a bit. At my incredulous look, he sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes, lowering the paper. "Listen: Oly and Yahn have a few thousand years of experience that you don't. They know how to keep everyone safe. Besides, would you even know how to fight another demon, if one presented itself?"

I snorted indignantly. "I've trained my whole life –"

" – Against people and robots," Douglas interrupted. "_Not_ supernatural entities." He raised his paper again, obviously tired of the discussion. "Besides, you're just a kid. What do you expect to be able to do against a possible army?"

"But I'm _your_ kid."

I seriously don't remember thinking that, but – boom! – there it was, slipping out of my mouth like it owned the god-damned place. It caused Douglas to look at me again - he appeared a bit surprised - as I found myself still going. "I mean, you made four bionic people. You can summon demons. You can show up like a flash of lightning and vanish like a puff of air, even with the FBI looking for you. You went through a lot of effort to get your kids back. Hell, you risked your _life_ for us. _Twice,_ for me." I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling awkward and embarrassed at the outburst. "If you can do all of that…then what _can't_ I do?"

The little glimmer in his eye returned, the subtle reveal of his pride as he smiled halfway. "You're extremely stubborn," he noted.

"I like to think that it's genetic," I replied smoothly.

He chuckled before sighing. "Tell you what: When we find Krane – and whoever is working for him – you can break into their homes and spy. _If you're careful,"_ he added when I punched the air in celebration (_checkmate, bitches)._ "If you get hurt or killed, I'm going to find some way to kick your ass."

I nodded before jumping to the table – a good twenty feet – without once touching the floor on the way. I gingerly scooped up a paper – which was covered in a jumble of letters (I shit you not) – and frowned. "Where did you get these?"

"Don't worry about it," he replied, making me think that I might not want to know after all. "Anyways, we need to crack the key before any of this will make sense." He held his paper out to me and pointed at the only coherent text on the page.

"What begins eternity, and ends time and space?" I read aloud. "What starts every end and ends every race?" Um, _what? _I wasn't quite a philosophical guy, so that went straight over my head. "What in the _hell_ does that mean?" I finally asked.

"If I _knew,"_ Douglas answered with a slight grin, "we wouldn't have to crack it, would we? Just think of it as a challenge."

I _did_ like challenges. I pulled a chair back and sat next to him. Challenge accepted.

* * *

_"There's no other love like the love for a brother. There's no other love like the love from a brother."_

**Astrid Alauda**

* * *

_"Never neglect details. When everyone's mind is dulled or distracted, the leader must be doubly vigilant."_

**Colin Powell**

* * *

**_Adam_**

Call him paranoid, but Adam couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched.

Intelligence might not have been his strong point, but his intuition – when it worked – was rarely wrong. It was something he never really got credit for. So, when he started sensing the invisible tail, he didn't doubt it. It had nagged at him for a few days now, revving him up to the point that he had difficulty sleeping and frequently made his way around the house at night just to check that everyone was all right.

It was why he was currently outside Donald's and Tasha's room, quietly peering in the door to assure himself that his parents were still safe and sound. When he saw their forms side-by-side peacefully on the bed, Adam smiled a bit and closed the door again. He hadn't relayed his fear to anyone yet. They already thought that he was too jumpy – incinerating a killer plastic bag that had snuck up on Bree once using his heat vision hadn't helped much – and he didn't want to make it worse. Especially with this new (possible) threat.

Adam made his way downstairs, his jaw set determinedly. No; he would protect them in silence. He had to.

On the wall to his right, a small flurry of green caught his attention. He locked onto it, prepared to attack the offending party. However, when he saw what it was, he almost laughed. Resting on the wall at eye level was a small lizard – a "gecko," Chase had called it – that was barely as long as Adam's index finger. "You again?" he whispered, reaching out to touch it. The small creature had somehow gotten in a few days back, and Adam didn't have the heart to throw the little thing out; the world was cruel, after all. Especially to small things. The gecko flicked its tongue and scurried up and away from Adam's finger as he felt a pang of guilt at the thought. He would know that better than anyone; Chase had been small, and Adam had been cruel to him. Secretly, Adam had begun to wonder if Chase even wanted to come home again. Adam sure wouldn't. He did, however, wish he could at least talk to Chase one more time, if only to apologize.

Since that was impossible, though, Adam had decided to try and keep the gecko safe as a small way to make it up to Chase's memory. Adam often left little bits of food out for the gecko, feeling warm and delighted when he returned the next day to find the tidbit gone. Truthfully, he didn't know what geckos ate; he just used whatever was left over from dinner. But it was always eaten, so he didn't have a problem with it. Obviously, the gecko felt the same way; it was developing a little bulge in its midsection.

For a few more seconds, Adam watched his charge before deciding to resume his nightly patrol by checking on Bree. The gecko's yellow eyes seemed to watch him as he crossed the room. And, as the elevator door closed, he felt a slight chill run down his spine.

Call him paranoid, but Adam couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched.

* * *

**There you have it! Feel free to review! Or not. Whatever. :P**

**Hmmm...How about that key, ladies and gentlemen? Any thoughts to possibly help Chase and Douglas out? They'd certainly appreciate it. They've been trying for days to crack it with no luck. Maybe you can set that wheel in motion. ;3**

**A few days wait is all you had to suffer through. Turns out that the graveyard shift offers a lot of time to write between bouts of work.**

**Now, I still feel the need to throw out there that Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the days you should be watching for here. Other than that, I've actually nothing left to say. **

**Enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	4. Chapter 4 - Plans and Discoveries

**Before I start kick this off, let me state one thing (Oh yeah, it's going to fly off the harsh meter and into Zara's-an-asshole territory):  
**

**Whoever first said, "Hey, I think Zara is KAB," is an idiot. I am not. Stop spreading rumors and quit trying to find someone to blame because you can't handle her talking a little trash, people. All she does is throw out mild (yes, I've heard _so_ much worse) insults. Really? Your skins aren't any thicker than her petty-ante attempts at tearing you down to make herself feel better? What's she going to do, pixel you to death? Find the silver lining, people: She's drawing everyone together, at least, if she doesn't amuse you like she does me. Who cares who she really is? She's a bunch of pixels and words, hiding behind a computer screen. Show her the field in which you cultivate your fucks, that she may see that it lies barren, because you're starting to keep her around with your constant complaining at her. Life gets fun when you realize that she's not important to you at all. And, if ignored - or counter-trolled - she'll eventually get bored and leave. If not, you can delete her comments so that they're just not there anymore. Easy, right? She's not that hard to handle. But saying that one person discouraged you and made you quit writing is kind of a cop-out move. You write for you, because you want to see it happen. Not for others. Her words then become hollow in your ears. And don't bother to comment, "Well, that was rude." I got it.**

**I would apologize for what I said up there if it offends, but I'll don the symbolic cone-of-shame instead as a more meaningful gesture. Better? Consider it a lesson on how to deal with trolls. It'll make you happier. And to the people who have already heard that speech, sorry you had to suffer through it again. :D**

**Thanks for all the nice reviews. :3**

**And stuff. Yes; there is stuff. Nice stuff. :3**

**And no one helped Chase and Douglas. :O So guess who's still stumped?**

**Chase and Douglas.**

**For those of you who don't feel like reading back, here was the key from last chapter:**

**"What begins eternity, and ends time and space? What starts every end, and ends every race?"**

**Poor guys need all the help they can get. :P**

**So, enough blathering from me: Who here's ready for some Hybrid? Anyone feel like getting us rolling? Miss Bree?**

**"Lab Rats and anything you recognize doesn't belong to Zara. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

_"The world is full of people who will help you manufacture tornadoes in order to blow out a match."_

**Shaun Hick**

* * *

_"You suck! Suck…. That's what you do…."_

**Unknown**

* * *

******Chapter 4 – Plans and Discoveries**

_******Chase**_

"What about 'time'?"

I lifted my head up from the table – I was banging it repeatedly with frustration – and sighed heavily, eyeing Douglas. "Why would the answer be time? Time doesn't end space." I paused. "Besides, it _mentions_ time. It wouldn't be _that_ easy."

Douglas went silent for several seconds before pushing the paper he was staring at away from himself and rubbing his eyes. "Damn it," he hissed. "What are we missing? We're _geniuses, _for christ's sake!" He slammed his palm flat on the table to accent his point.

"Yeah?" I muttered, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "So is Krane."

We fell into a tense silence at that. It was a common conversation we'd been having over the past week while mulling over Krane's stupid-ass key. I was about to return to my self-prescribed face-to-table therapy – maybe if I hit my head hard enough, the answer will magically appear! – but Douglas rested a hand on my shoulder, catching my attention. When I looked at him again, he shook his head slightly. "Don't do that." He smiled halfway. "You might crack the table."

"God forbid," I responded, rolling my eyes. "It sure is a _fine_ table. I'd _hate_ to be the one that broke it."

He chuckled a bit. "Seriously, though: You'll hurt yourself." He squeezed my shoulder before letting go and leaning back in his chair, his arms crossed.

I growled and sat back as well, running my hand down my face with exasperation. What kind of multi-billionaire bionic asshole needed a freaking _code?_ Seriously, who was he afraid of? He could just take out everyone with one of his fireballs! What was he not getting about "all-powerful"?

Well, not quite all-powerful, but still.

"Why is this so hard?" I mumbled into my palm miserably.

Douglas was about to answer when Oly came flying into the room, obviously excited about something. Even her form was shimmering a bit, like she was having trouble keeping it together. Literally. "Lovett!" she declared loudly, landing on the table and scattering some papers in the process. Douglas looked as bewildered as I was as Oly leaned right up into his face. "_It's Lovett, Master!"_

"_Phil_ Lovett?" Douglas asked, suddenly appearing a bit worried when Oly nodded.

"Who's Phil Lovett?" I asked with a frown. I mean, the loop: I want to be in it, too.

"The master who sent the other imp," Oly snapped, swinging around so that he whip-like tail caught me across the head. "_Keep up."_

I sullenly rubbed the new welt just above my left ear and glared at Oly as Douglas took over. "I've met Lovett a few times." He frowned. "He's the embodiment of talking to your face and stabbing you in the back. Likes to keep an afrit he calls 'Jasper' around."

I glanced at him, suppressing the shudder at Jasper's name. The guy was a powerhouse. Don't ask me how I knew that; we just know these things. Avoid Jasper: Check. "You know this guy? Seriously? Is there, like, some kind of Summoners' Club or something?"

"No," Douglas quipped defensively. After a second of silence, he continued. "It's a prestigious society that sets up and enforces regulation regarding summoning and – _don't laugh!_ I'm serious."

I was biting my hand, shaking with muffled snickering at the pretentious description. I honestly hadn't heard anything so douchebaggy since Tasha joined a "juicing community" for those who liked to create various juices from fruits and vegetables. I mean, have you ever _heard_ of anything so incredibly smug?

Oh, you look great!

Thanks; I'm juicing now.

In a bout of jealousy at my ability to ignore Douglas' order when Oly would've been forced into silence, she swung her tail at me again. However, I was ready this time. I caught her tail and pulled, swinging her in a few circles over my head before letting go. It was _so satisfying_ to see her fly across the room, screeching her outrage until she crashed into the wall and collapsed in a heap on the floor.

_Finish her! Show her that she made a mistake when she targeted you!_

_Shut up,_ I thought harshly.

"Don't hurt her," Douglas warned. "She has information."

"All right," I conceded. He would never admit it out loud, but Douglas had a certain fondness for Oly and Yahn. They were the first demons he summoned, after all.

As Oly picked herself up – growling at me and dusting off her bat-like wings – Douglas turned his attention to her. "Where's Yahn?"

"Sitting on the spy," she answered, clapping her beak together with distaste. "The tall, idiotic kid keeps leaving out food for us, so Yahn has become a bit fat."

Douglas groaned and rubbed his eyes, looking down. "Damn it, Yahn."

I, meanwhile, grinned at the mental image of an exceedingly fat gargoyle trying to fly with too-small wings.

I feel the need to explain something here: Demons don't need to eat. Well, I did, but I had the whole "half-breed" thing going on. Anyways, anything a demon eats goes straight to its hips. It's amusing to see chubby imps or djinnis just hanging around people in the guise of a cute puppy just to get some food thrown their way.

_The fat ones splatter more when you crush them_, my voice remarked.

Wasn't it just a delightful little shit? I glanced at Douglas, who had crossed his arms again. "So what do we do about this 'Lovett' guy?"

_Strangle him?_

If he tried anything, then strangle him, indeed.

"Scout his home," Douglas answered, leaning forward and picking up a pen before ripping a blank corner from one of the papers. As he wrote the address down, he added, "You _and_ Oly."

In the span of two seconds, I went from excited mission mode to asking, "You're not serious?"

Douglas slid the paper to me before standing up and crossing the kitchen. "I am," he answered, opening an overhead cabinet with his back to us.

"But I can do so much more without this _whelp,"_ Oly huffed, making a peace sign with her index and middle finger and spitting between them towards me to show her disdain.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "And I'd probably do better without all the dead weight," I responded as I focused on heat. The tip of Oly's tail began to smoke and glow like a burning coal. Biting back a scream of pain, she grabbed her tail and attempted to blow it out while I shot her a shit-eating grin. It was fun to watch her trying to avoid Douglas' notice while doing this. I imagined it was so he wouldn't order us to stop fighting, which she would have to obey. It would effectively kill any counter-attacks.

"You'll do fine together," Douglas said absently. "And you'll definitely want the help, if Jasper is there." He picked up an unlit candle and closed the cabinet, turning around. As Oly rapidly sat on her tail to hide it, I had to bite my cheek to keep from laughing. Talk about lighting a fire under someone's ass! Her expression was _priceless: _All tight and pale and filled with rage – and anguish – as she glared daggers at me.

Douglas frowned at her. "There's no need to look like _that,"_ he said. He patted my back with his free hand. "I have faith in this kid. You'll be fine."

I shot Oly a smugly triumphant look – good god, she looked ready to _explode_ _– _before I picked up the paper with the address. "What are you going to do while we're gone?" I asked Douglas.

He picked up a pack of matches from the counter, smiling at me. "If Yahn is busy sitting on our spy, then I'm going to call in some backup guards." His face grew serious now as he pointed at me. "If you're not back by sunrise, I'm summoning you, too. _Both_ of you," he added, looking at Oly. I was sure that she was biting her tongue as she nodded. "Don't do anything stupid," he went on. "We need to stay under the radar. We can't let Krane catch on to us knowing. And, if something goes wrong, don't fight. _Run._ Got it?" We nodded. "Good. Stay safe. And good luck." With that, he patted my back again before he exited the room, turning to ascend the stairs.

When Douglas was out of earshot, Oly yelped and jumped straight up into the air about five feet before landing and stomping frantically on her burning tail. I burst out in uncontrollable laughter, covering my mouth with both hands to keep it quiet. It took her a moment to fully extinguish the smoldering tip, which was now a blackened accent against her stony-blue skin. She locked her yellow eyes on me before launching herself across the room, crying out in rage with her claws pointed towards my face. I gasped and jumped up so that she collided with my chest, knocking me over. Well, I had accidently picked a fight. Oops.

_Tear off her wings! Shove them down her throat! Show her that she should never attack you! _

Oh, hell.

* * *

_"With no-one wearing their real face, it's a whiteout of emotion…. So will you please show me your real face?"_

**Poets of the Fall, "War"**

* * *

_"Fear has two meanings: Fuck Everything And Run, or Face Everything And Rise."_

**Unknown**

* * *

**_Bree_**

She had never enjoyed walking home from school. Despite being able to talk to her brothers, and despite all her complaining about wanting a normal life, she just hated how _slow_ walking was. She could be home in a few seconds. And, at the moment, she hated the stupid conversations her brothers tended to have.

"Think about it," Adam was saying. "Broccoli is like a little tree, so the trees outside the window watching _have_ to be crying because we're eating their babies!"

Leo shot Bree a look before responding. "Then don't eat broccoli. The trees might start a war one day. They're alive, so why wouldn't they find some way to retaliate?"

And here, Leo was supposed to be the intelligent one. Bree rolled her eyes, shrugging her backpack further onto her shoulder as she tuned them out in exchange for looking around. Everything seemed so normal, like the world was trying its best to ignore the three strange teens. It almost seemed unfair. It wasn't like she had _asked_ for insane things to happen around her.

She hadn't exactly asked to run into Adam when he stopped abruptly, either, but that's exactly what happened.

"What the hell?" she asked irritably, smacking Adam on the arm. In front of them, Leo had finally realized that Adam wasn't by his side anymore and had stopped himself, shooting Adam a look over his shoulder.

But Adam was looking at three pigeons on the sidewalk, who were chirping at one another.

In a seemingly angry manner.

And, upon focusing, Bree realized that they were chirping _in English._ Leo followed their astonished glances until he, too, saw the impossible sight. His jaw literally dropped open.

"You're lost! Ask for directions!" One was saying, gesturing with its wings like they were hands.

"I know where I'm going!" Another snapped, ruffling its feathers indignantly.

"You do _not,"_ the third one argued. It looked around and, upon noticing the three gawking teens, pointed at them with one wing. "Ask them!"

"Are you seeing this?!" Leo asked, his voice much higher in pitch and shaking slightly.

Adam nodded, never looking away from the birds. "It's so freaky. Birds don't get lost."

Bree almost hit him again. Leave it to Adam to overlook the birds' speaking for something utterly foolish.

After a heavy sigh, the bird that had claimed to know where it was going hopped towards them. "Look, we're searching for some people. Named something stupid, like 'Davenport' or whatever. Master says that we're supposed to guard them. Do you know where they live?"

Brave, brave Leo, upon hearing this, did the toughest thing Bree had ever seen: He passed out.

_So much for the "Enforcer," _Bree thought sarcastically.

"Hey, that's us!" Adam answered with a grin before Bree could stop him.

"I told you they'd know!" one of the two in the background said excitedly.

"We're supposed to guard you, then," said the other one.

The one closest to the kids jumped up, flapping its wings and rising just to land on Adam's shoulder. "Then they can take us there. My wings are tired."

Bree swatted the bird off, causing it to squawk indignantly and crash to the ground.

"That was rude," Adam protested.

Bree ignored him, instead focusing on the birds. "What are you?" she spat. "Who's this 'master,' and why are you supposed to guard us? What do you want? And how can you _talk?!"_

The three exchanged looks that gave Bree the feeling that they thought she was a bit lacking in the intelligence department. Finally, the one that Bree swatted tilted its head at her. "We're _imps._ Duh." It rolled its eyes and muttered, "Some people just don't appreciate us anymore."

"What's an 'imp'?" asked Adam, who had furrowed his brow in concentration.

"Oh, for the love of –" one of the two farther away groaned. "_Demons._ We're _demons._ Don't people know _anything_ anymore?"

"Master sent us to guard you," another reiterated. "So just shut up and accept it. We can't exactly disobey him."

Bree felt herself beginning to shake as she took a step back. Demons weren't real. They _couldn't_ be real. And, if these things _were_ demonic, weren't they evil? Didn't demons hurt people rather than guard? Who would send something like _that _after them? Bree suddenly felt the need to get the holy hell out of there. "Adam, pick Leo up," she hissed. For once, he didn't question her. His face had gone quite pale at the word "demons." Gently, he scooped Leo up and held the limp teen to his chest, beginning to back away like Bree had. In one last-ditch effort to find who would send freaking _demons_ to "guard" them, she swallowed hard to steady her voice. "_Who is this 'master'?"_

The birds all concentrated for a moment, conferring amongst themselves to the tune of asking who actually remembered. Finally, one hopped up and down. "I remember!" it chirped happily. "Some guy named 'Douglas.'"

For a split second, Bree thought her heart stopped. Then, without a word, she grabbed Adam's arm and ran. The world around them dissolved into a blur of color and wind before her GPS signaled that they were home mere seconds later. Coming to an instant stop in front of the door, Bree let go of Adam and threw the door open. Tasha and Mr. Davenport, who were standing in the living room for some reason, shot her stunned looks, but she was in the elevator and headed down towards the Lab before they could say anything. She dropped her backpack in the tunnel, not even caring that she would likely be yelled at later as she entered the Lab's main room and proceeded to lock herself in her capsule and sink to the ground, hugging her knees and shaking severely.

Not only did demons exist, but Douglas could order them to do things?

She couldn't remember dealing with a more terrifying situation in her life, aside from Chase missing.

Because, if Douglas could send three demons at once….

She swallowed hard, feeling her pulse speed up and the blood drain from her face. _How many others had he already sent?_

* * *

**There you have it, folks. Review. Or don't. Whatever.**

**Remember to help Douglas and Chase. :P They're having technical difficulties. One literally stormed off of my screen while I was writing this because he was so huffy that he didn't get the key yet. *cough* Douglas. *cough* o_o Who said that?**

**Remember: Don't expect updates just exceedingly often. :3**

**And don't spread rumors. It's bad for you. Like...drugs...and stuff...**

**;) **

**Enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	5. Chapter 5 -Secrets and Simplicity

**Let me just kick this off by saying congratulations to AllAmericanSlurp, who was the only one to solve the key! **

**For those of you still trying, you have until Douglas' point of view down below. :P**

**Thanks to those of you who reviewed and made efforts and...thankable things...**

**_Random Q&A:_ "Was one of the three demons Chase?"**

**_Answer:_ Going out on a limb here, but I'm preeeeeetty sure - like, a whole 2% - that Chase wouldn't get lost on the way to the Davenport mansion. Just sayin'. :P**

**Vampire Girl: It took me 4 hours to find Douglas after this comment. You found Douglas-repellent! Nice! :D (I was laughing really hard when I read it.)**

**KrisKat: Updating. Hopefully soon enough for ya. :3**

**Moonlit: Hasn't Chase always been dry and sarcastic? :D He amuses me so much. I _had_ to amplify it for this story.**

**Shinxshinx1595: Not life. :3 Nice try.  
**

**AllAmericanSlurp: Yes! The dreaded cliffie!**

**Everyone else: Thanks :3**

**I'm quite displeased with how the part with the Davenport's turned out. Had to muscle through some writer's block for that. But at least it went somewhere. Feel free to hate it, though. I look upon it with distaste. *shudders***

**Anyways, who wants to do it? Adam?**

**"Lab Rats and anything you recognize isn't owned by Zara. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

_"A cat bitten once by a snake dreads even rope."_

**Arab Proverb**

* * *

_"The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend."_

**Robertson Davies, ****_Tempest-Tost_**

* * *

_**Chapter 5 - Other-Worldly Secrets and Simplicity**_

**_Adam_**

Adam couldn't remember the last time he had ever seen Mr. Davenport at a loss for words.

Davenport _always_ had a response, even if it was just to say how great he was. However, five minutes had passed since Adam had relayed what the talking birds had said, and Davenport was still opening and closing his mouth, saying nothing. He just kind of clutched the arms of the chair he had sank into at the sentence, "Douglas sent demons to guard us." Adam just watched him from his seated position on the floor, hoping that Mr. Davenport had at least _half_ an explanation as to why something like this would happen.

Leo – who was usually better at explaining things – was still out cold on the couch, his head resting in Tasha's lap. She didn't look much better than Davenport, but her expression was tinged with disbelief more than anything else. Adam didn't blame her; he was _there_, yet he still couldn't wrap his mind around the situation.

"Demons don't exist…. We spent _years_ trying to find _one,_ and we couldn't find a thing…."

Adam – his thoughts interrupted by Davenport's frighteningly quiet sentence – looked at his adoptive father with a massive frown. However, as he opened his mouth to speak, Tasha beat him to it. "You're not seriously believing this, are you?"

"No," Davenport answered immediately. Then, with a slight wince, he amended himself. "Maybe."

"_Maybe?!"_ Adam heard himself yelp. _Maybe_ there were demons? Weren't those things _fake?_

Tasha reached down and touched Adam's shoulder. "Demons aren't real," she reassured before shooting Davenport a look. "_Right,_ Donald?"

"Right," Davenport responded slowly after a few seconds. "Douglas is just messing with me. With _us._" He sent Adam a smile that seemed strained. "Those were probably just little robots or something, programmed to _think_ that they're demons."

"Why?" Adam asked, feeling more confused by the second.

Mr. Davenport seemed embarrassed by the explanation. He looked down at his lap and fidgeted in the chair. "You see, when Douglas and I were in college, we went through this "phase" in which we wanted to prove that demons existed."

Tasha shot Davenport a "what-the-hell" type of look before she turned her attention to her son, who had shifted a bit while beginning to wake up. Davenport winced again before continuing. "We were college kids. What do you expect? Anyways, we even went so far as attempting to build a portal into their world. It never did work, so we eventually just gave up." He paused. "Wait, I take that back: It worked enough to shock Chase. Not sure why it scared him away, though."

"There's a demon portal downstairs?" Tasha growled, narrowing her eyes.

"I'll get rid of it," Davenport offered shyly, like he was trying to keep a bear from eating him. "It doesn't work, anyways. Just a way to remind myself that Douglas wasn't always a bad guy."

Before anyone could say anything, two things happened: Leo groaned and sat up, shaking his head, and a loud bang – followed by a long string of cursing about gusts of wind and loud laughing – sounded from the front door. "Hey, there's a door there, idiot!"

"What are you, _blind?"_

The laughter increased until a yellow flash lit up the window for a split second, followed by indignant squawking. "_Geez, _Carth_. _ No need to be upset."

A few more angry words met this statement. "I'm over 20,000 years old and being used as a _babysitter! _ I'll be as upset as I want!"

"Can we just get in the house?" someone whined. "I'm tired of all this 'fresh air' crap. Seriously, it can't be good for you. Where's the sulfur? Stupid humans don't know what's healthy."

General murmurs of agreement reached Adam before, seconds later, three mice appeared in the frame of an open window and scurried in like they weren't afraid of anything. One-by-one, they all leapt to the floor – everyone staring at them with wide eyes – until they finally ended up in the middle of the living room, right in front of Adam. The one in the center spoke first. "Yeah, the running? Thanks for that." It fluffed its brownish fur a bit. "Don't do that again."

_They're so cute!_ Adam found himself thinking, unconsciously reaching towards the closest one – a dark - furred creature - while Tasha and Davenport's jaws dropped and Leo jumped behind the couch.

"Don't touch me," it squeaked, scurrying away a bit. "I'll singe your fingers if you do."

"Don't hurt _that_ one!" A muffled voice protested from under the couch. "He's nice."

"It doesn't matter!" huffed the third mouse – a little gray one with a ripped ear. "It's not like we could hurt them _anyways. _That was an order, remember?"

"I have a creative way of making accidents happen," the dark one retorted, still watching Adam.

A gecko – _his_ gecko, Adam realized – crawled out from under the couch, holding the wing of a fly in its small mouth. The fly was buzzing desperately in an attempt to get away as the lizard crawled onto Adam's knee. "No accidents," it muttered around its captive. "I'll eat anyone that makes something happen."

"You couldn't eat _crap,_ Yahn," spat the brown rodent.

_"What is going on!?"_

Everyone jumped a bit at the high-pitched question and locked eyes with Leo, who had poked his head over the couch to watch.

"Do we have to explain _again?"_ the dark mouse groaned.

"That one was out cold when we were explaining it," the gray one supplied.

"Yes," Mr. Davenport – finally having found his voice – answered the original question. "If you _are_ demons, then talk before I bring Tasha's silver jewelry out."

Adam furrowed his brow at this. Davenport was going to throw Tasha's necklaces at them? "What would _that_ do?" he asked.

"I'd like to know that, too," Tasha added, somehow finding the ability to become miffed at the mention of Davenport using her jewelry - some family heirlooms - as weapons against small animals.

However, the brown mouse interrupted any explanation that might have been forthcoming. "Okay, okay! Keep that stuff away from us! Impatient much?" It straightened itself up, balancing on its hind legs. "I'm Carth – " it pointed at itself with one paw – "that's Vilar – " he pointed at the gray mouse – "and that's Mesth – " he gestured towards the dark mouse. "The lizard's Yahn. Master sent us to guard you from imps like _that guy_ over there," he explained while Yahn shook its head to indicate the fly. "So just shut up and deal with it, because he ordered it and we can't say no."

"Master is Douglas, right?" Adam asked as he began to run his index finger down Yahn's back repeatedly. Demon or not, Yahn was still his gecko.

"Right!" Mest answered.

"And you're _real _demons?" Mr. Davenport asked slowly.

"_Demons don't exist," _Tasha insisted from her spot on the couch. Her voice lacked conviction, though, and she had started to tremble a bit.

"Yeah," Leo added from his hiding place. "Prove it."

Vilar sighed. "Why do we always have to _prove_ it?" However, it seemed to dissolve into a smoky shadow before reappearing as a large cobra. Then, it changed into a hamster. Followed by a poodle. And, finally, the spitting image of Leo, who almost passed out again. Vilar-Leo sat down on the floor and crossed its legs before creating a blue orb of light in her right hand and gently pushed it upwards to hang over her head and shed an eerie light over all of them as it hung like a star near the ceiling, suspended by nothing. "Need any more proof?" it – no, _she;_ her voice, now that her vocal cords were large enough to accent the difference, was distinctly feminine - asked sarcastically, actually rolling her eyes.

"I'm on board; they're demons." Mr. Davenport swallowed hard. He had fear written all over his features, but it was tinted with the slightest bit of excitement and suspicion.

Leo had jumped up indignantly, though. "Give me my body back!" he snapped. "You can't pull me off like I can."

"I don't _want_ you, kid," Vilar sneered as she shifted into an exact imitation of Bree, who had been hiding in the Lab since they got home. "You're too small."

_"I am not small!"_ Leo hissed, jumping over the couch. However, when Vilar stood up, an eyebrow raised challengingly, Leo sank down onto the couch with a whimper. "But whatever works for you is fine with me."

Adam almost smiled at this, but decided to ask something instead. "You aren't going to possess us, are you?"

"We're here to _guard _you," Carth reiterated slowly, as if speaking with an idiot. "We can't even possess people!"

"Why would Douglas send demons to guard _us?"_ Mr. Davenport asked. "We need to be protected _against _him, not by him."

Adam frowned. "But he _did_ save our lives once," he pointed out, forcing everyone to remember their recent fight with Krane.

"That doesn't mean he's good," Leo shot back instantly.

"And we have a security system," Mr. Davenport pointed out. "Right, Eddy?"

The program in question lit up the screen near the door. "What? Sorry; I was sleeping. Beautiful doesn't just happen, you know. Just look at Tasha: Talk about no effort."

Tasha glared at Eddy before declaring, "I'd take a demon over that deranged emoticon."

Adam and Leo nodded in agreement. Mr. Davenport was just pinching the bridge of his nose at the snarky computer's comment.

"You and Master, both," Mesth squeaked. "That 'Eddy' thing can't see other imps, anyways. We can."

"Besides, I've already been here a week," Yahn added, its voice still muffled. "If we were sent to hurt you, you'd be dead already."

"A _week?"_ Leo asked. "You could be a spy, for all we know!"

Yahn gasped indignantly. "I am not – crap, _catch him!"_

The fly – having freed itself when Yahn opened its mouth – was quickly buzzing towards the window.

And, suddenly, four demons were launching themselves after it. Now, Adam could _tell_ they were demonic. Yahn – who'd leapt from Adam's knee – now looked like a fat, gray gargoyle. Vilar-Bree had turned into some kind of large, strangely – scaled blue dog. Mesth and Carth had more cat-like physiques, Carth looking like a very short, fully-furred cat-human hybrid while Mesth had a two-headed green bobcat thing going on. However, despite the rapid action, the fly was out the window, narrowly avoiding the attacking group.

_"Damn it!"_ Vilar snapped, her claws digging into the floor hard enough to leave gouges.

"Way to let the _actual_ spy go, Yahn," Carth hissed angerly.

"_That _one was the spy, not us!" Yahn lamented, flailing his arms around. "It'll take information to Lovett!" He paused before groaning, "Master is going to _kill me."_

The other three seemed by be enjoying Yahn's misery. "Maybe Master will stick you in a tin with rosemary and drop you to the bottom of the ocean for the next thousand years," Mesth cackled.

Yahn paled. "Or feed me to his half-breed." He dropped to the floor and curled into a ball, hiding his face with his wings. "I don't want to get eaten!"

"Wait, what?" Adam found himself asking.

_"That_ was a spy sent against us by some random Lovett guy," Leo was rationalizing, _"you four_ are demon guards sent by _Douglas, _and the spy just got away? We're just supposed to _accept_ this? And what's this 'half-breed' thing?"

"Some kid that got turned half-demon somehow," Yahn groaned. "And Master's going to feed me to him now because the spy got away."

Mr. Davenport suddenly stood up at this. "Kid?" he asked. "Brown, spiky hair, about this tall, looks like Douglas?" He held his hand to about Chase's height.

Yahn moved his wing to look with one eye. "Except for the demon parts, pretty much."

Adam was confused now. "Are you talking about Chase? What does he have to do with anything?"

"Chase!" Yahn squeaked. "That's the guy!"

"Chase is with _Douglas?_" Leo gasped.

"Who the hell is 'Chase'?" Carth asked, scratching behind his ear absently.

"Everyone _quiet!"_

Adam jumped, startled by Tasha's loud command. He had honestly forgotten that she was in the room. However, in an instant, everyone was silent.

"I want these demons _out,"_ she hissed lowly, standing up.

"But they know where Chase is," Davenport protested. Adam nodded vigorously. If anyone knew where Chase was – even evil demons – it was something that he wanted to look into.

"Then take these four out of here," Tasha huffed, her eyes glued to the now-smoking ruts that Vilar had created in the floor. "Lock them in a capsule or something. I don't care. Just get these things out of the main house." She marched to the window – literally parting demons like they were the Red Sea and ignoring their protests at being called "things" – and slammed it shut. "Meanwhile, _don't let anymore demons in."_ Everyone was frozen for a second before Tasha turned around, her expression more terrifying than any demon. "_Go. Now."_

"Yeah, follow me," Davenport said rapidly, basically running towards the Lab elevator with Leo, Adam, and four terrified demons on his heels.

_Tasha,_ thought Adam. _Ruler of the house, even when there are demons in it._

* * *

_"When you hear hoofbeats, think of horses, not zebras."_

**Dr. Theodore Woodward**

* * *

_"Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated."_

**Confucius**

* * *

**_Douglas_**

Stupid key.

It had been a week, and he was no closer to solving it.

Maybe it was too profound? Or maybe it was something that even _he_ couldn't solve.

He scoffed at that thought instantly. _I'm Douglas freaking Davenport_._ I can solve anything._

He stabbed a pencil through the bottom of the paper that held the current bane of his existence – did he mention how stupid he thought the key was? – and sighed, running a hand down his face. He'd _never_ find Krane this way. Maybe the guy was just too clever? Douglas himself had designed Krane, after all. It was possible that a little _too_ much had gone into the intelligence front of that failed project. Maybe enough to create the ultimate weapon? Krane had easily taken down Adam, Bree, and Chase before.

_Adam, Bree, and Chase._

Douglas ground his teeth as the mental image of his kids leapt into his mind's eye. Krane was going down. He _had_ to.

And, if Chase and Oly couldn't find anything on Lovett, Krane's downfall might very well begin with solving the infuriating key.

Douglas found his eyes drawn involuntarily towards a few bloodstains and scorch marks on the carpet near the kitchen. Chase and Oly had gone to Lovett's before Douglas had gotten downstairs, but he had no doubt that the two had come to blows over _something,_ if the tip of Chase's ear he had found was anything to go by. He'd have to lecture them both when he saw them again. Or make them hold hands for an hour, like his mother used to do when he and Donald were fighting.

Douglas chuckled a bit before reluctantly glaring at the key again. Honestly, who cared what the little riddle meant? Why would the answer get him any closer to decoding the nonsense that crowded the rest of the papers? His vision lost focus, causing the only discernible sentences to blur together in a mixture of letters as well. He had spent so much time staring at it that it probably tattooed itself on his brain. What started eternity?

_The fucking letter 'e', _he thought sarcastically.

The resulting revelation caused him to sit upright and drop his pencil on the table with a slight click, as if he had been struck by lightning. It_ couldn't_ be that easy…could it?

Hand shaking slightly, he fumbled around for the pencil and began to underline the first – or last – letters of every word that the riddle mentioned. The first letters of eternity and end. The last letters of time, space, and race.

All the letter 'e'.

_Okay,_ he acknowledged. _But, if this is right, what would that have to do with anything? What makes 'e' so important?_

He was at a loss again. There wasn't much that mattered about it. It was a vowel, tended to be silent, was the fifth letter of the English alphabet; nothing that really stood out.

On a whim, Douglas took a paper with a one in the corner– he hadn't wanted to get them out of order - and a clean sheet, laying them side–by -side. _Maybe the answer fairy had dropped her magic dust on my paper,_ he thought with amusement as he wrote down the first letter in the series. Then the fifth. Then the tenth and fifteenth. So on in fives until what he saw made him cry out in triumph.

_Lovett: It is important that you understand me when I tell you to do something._

"Yes," he cheered, throwing his hands up with sheer excitement. "I kick ass! Suck it, Krane!" Then, almost laughing with glee, he began to transcribe the rest of the papers.

Maybe _now, _they would finally get somewhere.

* * *

**"****_Where's Chase?!"_**

**Next chapter. It's not quite night time in their world yet. :3 But it's about an hour out.  
**

**Review. Or don't. Whatever you're feeling.  
**

**Hopefully, the next chapter will be better. I'll see what I can do. Until then: \ :( / *cone of shame*  
**

**OH, and enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	6. Chapter 6 - Azazel's Bane

**What?! Two updates in two days?! What gives? This is what's happening. Accept it.**

**Besides, Chase came out from his hiding place and wanted to say hi.**

**Thanks to everyone for reviewing. Or not and just reading. :P Whichever you did. **

**Vampire Girl: I think Douglas is starting to like you a bit.  
**

**KrisKat: It's about time, right?**

**shinxshinx1595: Don't worry. Took me about 10 minutes of staring to solve the key. It ended up being similar to how Douglas did it. :3**

**AllAmericanSlurp: Seems like a PM question there, but yes.  
**

**Moonlit: O_o Calm down there.**

**I actually do not have much to say here - it's more of a filler chapter than anything else. So let's just do this thing. Chase?**

**"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers. (And I rock.)"**

***Sigh* Thank you, Chase.  
**

* * *

_"If Plan A fails, remember that you have 25 letters left."_

**Unknown**

* * *

_"Real friends don't get offended when you insult them. They smile and call you something even more offensive."_

**Unknown**

* * *

******Chapter 6 – Azazel's Bane**

**_Chase_**

Nightfall: Check.

Good disguise: Check.

Imp sidekick: Check.

Cue the _Mission: Impossible_ theme music!

I was humming the song to myself while I was perched in the tree in Lovett's yard and checking the planes for anything dangerous (specifically, Jasper, who didn't seem to be around). I got a strange look from random people – a raven, singing spy music? How strange! – but ignored them as I checked the planes for anything suspicious. Beside me, Oly was clinging to her branch in the form of a robin while we waited and watched. She was missing some feathers in odd places, showing off shallow scratches and one deep gash across her belly. It was kind of satisfying to see, considering that she had literally bitten off the tip of my right ear. Not to mention the scratches that I myself had gained.

So take _that_, Douglas. I could hold my own against other demons.

Well, an imp that was weaker than me.

Shut up.

_You should've eaten her._

Oly pointed at the front door with her wing, catching my attention. "See that?"

"What?" I asked, examining the door frame. It seemed normal, except for the cross carved into the top of the door, a star surrounding it. "The symbol?"

"It's a trap," Oly explained. "If we set it off, it'll light us up like candles."

What fun! "You're too small to be a candle," I teased, fluffing my feathers up a bit.

Oly smacked the back of my head with her wing, but was grinning as much as a robin could.

I know: No sarcastic comeback, no insults, no _nothing_ from her. We'd actually been getting along fairly well since we decided to throw hands. Who knew that all it would take for us to play nice was literally beating the snot out of one another? It was pretty neat.

"So, how do we get past the door?" I asked. I figured that she would know what to do about it, since she had recognized it in the first place.

"We don't," Oly snorted. "Unless you have some sort of instant shield or something." She started muttering about how much easier things would be if Douglas were here to help us counteract the shield. Because, sometimes, magic worked that way. It involved us providing the energy and a summoner with the right words to direct it, if the demon in question wasn't just insanely powerful (which some very rare ones were; some made afrits look like little puffs of smoke that anyone could blow away). Traps were one of those things that we couldn't fix on our own.

But most demons weren't bionic, either.

"I actually _do_ have a shield," I informed Oly smugly. It was one of my bionic abilities that still worked. The shock from that stupid portal had taken out some. Levitation – if I wanted to, I could fly now, anyways – my GPS and all associated tracking abilities with it, my ability to remotely hack computers; you get the idea. I was lacking some skills in exchange for new ones. Easy come, easy go. "But how will that get us in the door? It's not like we can just open it and walk in."

"You've never just ghosted into a place before?" Oly asked, actually seeming surprised.

Ghosted? I thought we were demons, not ghosts. I shook my head. "Never heard of it."

Oly covered he eyes with one wing, looking up dramatically. "No wonder Master sent me with you: You're bad at this."

"Are you going to explain or not?" I asked, feigning annoyance. Truth be told, I _wasn't_ trained for something like this, and we both knew it. I was used to working with Adam and Bree on missions. Not another demon who had a better understanding of her powers than I did of my own.

It was time to learn! Yay!

"We turn into smoke, find a crack, and drift right in," she explained. "Easy."

That actually sounded fun. However, I had one problem with it. "My shield isn't intangible, you know. It can't go through cracks."

"Then keep it surrounding the trap," Oly suggested.

Damn it. I should've thought of that. Oly was pretty clever, when she wanted to be. "Right; keep it over the trap. Got it."

"Then come on. And don't blow away!" Oly warned before she took off, flying towards the door.

Leaping from the branch, I drifted after her to land at her side around ten feet from the door. "Let me get that sucker down," I said before I glared at the trap. After a second, a blue energy field surrounded it. Score! "That should do it," I informed, feeling proud of myself. I just outsmarted a magic trap with technology. I think I earned a little pride.

"Then we need to hurry," Oly said. "That thing isn't exactly hidden."

Just because it glowed, she had to get all pessimistic. I know what you're thinking: She _does_ have a point. Still, she could've let me enjoy it for a moment.

I watched her vanish into a small string of smoke and float towards the door. How she was able to go forward, I didn't know. Hopefully I figured it out quickly, though, because I was already in the middle of softening up into smoke myself. As it turned out, it wasn't hard to move after all. Rather like a snake, only using air currents to your advantage. How awesome was that? Don't mind us; we're just little wisps of smoke, come to float around your house. Nothing to see here.

Well, except for the trap. _It_ somehow detected us.

Magic: It was some serious shit.

The cross began to glow orange, and a spark started at the base, traveling along the edge of the star rapidly, burning the symbol permanently onto the frame as it went. When Oly reached the door and drifted along the bottom for openings, the spark reached the bottom of the cross again, which promptly shot a massive beam of white light in our direction. It instantly overwhelmed my shield, causing it to fail. Lucky for us, though, most of the impact had been absorbed, so we were left with little white sparks that rained down around us. Normally, I wouldn't be that worried – sparks vs. smoke; I think we'd win – however, one spark did manage to graze where my side would've been, creating a great amount of pain for something so small.

Life lesson: Magic sparks vs. smoke: Sparks won.

Forcing myself to ignore it – not like I could do anything; I was freaking _smoke_, for christ's sake – I watched as Oly excitedly flattened into a small string and vanished under the door. Following her actions, I flattened out and forced myself through the area she had, finding the almost – imperceptible crack to be quite sufficient for sneaking through.

Ghosting: Not just for ghosts.

On the other side, Oly was waiting in midair. She had already turned into a gnat for greater ease of mobility and waited while I did the same. "You got hit?" she asked, noting the wince of pain I somehow managed to give even when I was just an insect.

"I'll live," I informed her – ignoring the joyous fact that each beat of my little wings made it hurt worse. "Let's just get this over with."

"Don't look at it," Oly advised before buzzing up to the ceiling.

Right: Don't look at it. Nothing made you lose heart faster than seeing an injury. I carefully checked the planes again before following her.

Have you ever been a gnat? The world seemed _so much larger._ It was an interesting perspective, and I couldn't stop looking at every little thing as we flew around the rooms on the main floor. Nothing like being absolutely tiny to give you a new sense of wonder. I mean, flying up the stairs when you were a centimeter large? _Awesome._

Of course, all of that was kind of lost on frustration when we found, upon searching the upper floor as well, that the place devoid of life.

And evidence. _Especially_ evidence.

I mean, shouldn't all evil villains keep journals or written notes about what they're plans are? It was adventure movie 101! It was supposed to be _obvious_ that we had found the bad guy.

Stupid real life. It just _had_ to be complicated. It was such an asshole sometimes.

However, I had to acknowledge the sheer relief that we hadn't gotten the joy of meeting Jasper.

Oly finally landed on a desk lamp in an office-type room with a sigh. "On a scale of one to ten," she began, "how mad do you think Master will be when we show up again?" She gestured with her front two legs and continued. "I mean, we have _nothing_ from this search. Not to mention the mess we left in his house."

"The search? He'd probably understand," I answered, landing on the desk. "The mess, however…." I could think of a few of things that would infuriate Douglas about the blood on the carpet, but honestly didn't know who he'd be more angry at: _Me_ for getting hurt, _Oly_ for hurting me, or _both_ of us for fighting in the first place. It was like Russian Roulette: Who would bite the bullet?

_If you play your cards right, you can blame it all on her._

"Great," Oly grumbled, turning into her gargoyle self, since the house was empty and she was no doubt getting that uncomfortable itching throb from maintaining a form. I knew I was. "What a productive day. 'Oh, you wanted us to get undeniable proof? Sorry; we asked Lovett, but he kindly asked us to leave while he cleared away anything incriminating.'"

I was trying to listen to her monologue. I _really_ was. But something about the sound the lamp made when she shifted her tail to wrap it around her legs caught my attention. It sounded…I don't know, _loose._ Changing into a black cat – I hoped I shed on Lovett's desk. And that he was allergic – I started sniffing around it.

"What the hell, kid?" Oly asked, jumping up and back as I reared up onto my hind paws and rested my front ones on the lampshade to investigate the top.

And her weight being gone did the trick.

For one, I _don't _like falling down. Never have. So, when the lamp tilted backwards and I went head-over-heels over the top of it towards the floor, you could say that I was pretty peeved about it. And it didn't help the whole "burned side" issue. What _did_ help – slightly – was Oly picking my up by the scruff of my neck and pulling me up high enough to see over the desk to where a section of the wall had seemed to vanish. "Nice catch," she complimented, putting me on the desk where I promptly shook myself off.

"Who has a secret room?" I growled. Of course, I had to be quiet after I added a quiet, "Never mind." I _had _lived in a hidden lab for most of my life, so I had no room to talk.

"Who cares?" Oly answered me. "Something tells me that we hit the jackpot." Without waiting for me, she scurried into the room.

I checked my planes before I followed her, a bit more weary. Something didn't seem right. Maybe _she_ was willing to walk into a room that radiated magical power like it was nothing, but it was something that I wasn't used to.

Yes, we could feel magic power. For example: If I had gotten right up against the trap outside, I could've felt that it was charmed. And the room I padded into had so much energy going for it that it made my fur stand on end. "What is _causing_ that?" I found myself asking Oly as I joined her in the secret chamber of doom or whatever it was. It was pretty stupid: Nothing decorating the walls, one piece of idiotic-looking furniture: A tall, narrow display table. This guy was the worst interior designer _ever._

Oly, however, was standing with her mouth open, an expression of sheer awe on her face as she pointed at literally the only thing in the place. Granted, I hadn't exactly looked above my cat eye level, so I missed the top of the table at first. But, upon further inspection, I saw something that confused me further: An amulet, protected by an orange magic shield that appeared on plane three. A small ruby was sunk into a solid – gold circle that had runes carved into it, suspended on a golden chain. It wouldn't have meant squat to me if it wasn't the thing that was giving off the feeling of extreme power. "What the hell is that?" I asked, wrinkling my nose at it.

"It's Azazel's Bane," Oly whispered.

I shuddered at the name 'Azazel.' Nothing like one of the strongest demons to ever exist to get you in a bad mood. "Why is it called that?"

"It was used to destroy Azazel a thousand years ago," Oly explained quietly. "It will literally absorb any magical attack thrown its way. Even _Azazel_ couldn't hurt the person wearing it. It was lost for centuries. I wonder how Lovett found it."

Damn. Now _that_ was a protection spell! "Why would Lovett even _need_ it?" I asked.

_"He_ doesn't," Oly instantly said. "_Master_ does."

_You need it._

"I thought we were supposed to be flying under the radar here," I noted as Oly approached the amulet. "If we steal that, Lovett is going to know that _someone_ was here."

"Half-breed, listen: This guy is planning something _huge,"_ Oly reasoned. "If we take _this,_ then we might delay him. Because this obviously isn't just about your little family anymore. If he has Azazel's Bane, then he and whoever he's working for are obviously going to do something on a drastic scale. Now just shut up and watch. I'm going to show you how to get past a magic barrier."

More learning! I watched – still not totally on board with the idea to steal the thing – as Oly blew a small wisp of smoke through a tiny hole in the shield.

Contrary to belief, magic shields aren't perfect. They have weak points, holes, flaws, and defects, just like everything else. Just because it took days to set up didn't mean that it was impenetrable. Although, I didn't exactly know how one could exploit the weakness until I watched Oly hold her hands in front of her like she was grabbing something and pull them apart like she was tearing something, straining visibly.

And the smoke began to expand, slowly growing to enlarge the hole.

Note to self: _Learn this trick._

After two minutes of struggling, The hole was finally large enough for her to reach in and pick up Azazel's Bane, which she proceeded to cradle against her chest. "Let's get the hell out of here," she said, practically trembling with excitement while she flew back into the main office with me on her heels. "Master will be most pleased."

_Steal the amulet,_ urged my voice. _You _deserve_ that power._

_I don't _want_ that power, _I thought irritably as I followed her down the stairs and watched her just open the door this time. The trap had already spent itself – magic traps were a one-shot type of thing – so we just walked out like it was nothing.I didn't want something that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up constantly. Besides, I would be constantly targeted by those who wanted it for themselves, which is another problem I had with giving Azazel's Bane to Douglas. Being targeted wasn't something he needed. However – barring the lovely burn that was making moving _oh, so fun_ and my pessimistic thought pattern – I couldn't help but thinking that our little mission was much easier than I thought it would be.

Of course, I was wrong. But I wouldn't know _that_ until later.

* * *

**But, but...The Davenports?**

**This chapter was already pretty long. I didn't want to make it fly off the charts into mini-novel territory. :P Don't worry; they'll come back.**

**Feel free to review. Or not. Whatever works. :3**

**And enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	7. Chapter 7 - Strangers and the Hunter

**I'm back with Chapter Seven! Weeeeeeeeeeee!**

**I don't know if this is a filler or not, because of…. Well, you'll see. **

**But I'm not too pleased with it. It just didn't come out perfect to me. **

**I did, however, have fun writing about Adam and Yahn. You'll see that, too. :)**

**Thanks for all the reviews and random shout-outs. :) Or just showing up. That, too.**

**Shinxshinx1595****: Patience, Deary. Patience.**

**Moonlit****: If it's any consolation, Azazel was killed and I've never seen Supernatural.**

**AllAmericanSlurp****: Erm…you sure you want ****_this_**** chapter? Methinks all of you will want the ****_next_**** one. *hint hint***

**Guest****: *Slams down fist* ****_Love_**** it. Sadly, it's not looking too likely to happen just because of ****_how_**** they'll run into each other, but I'll see what I can do.**

**Vampire Girl****: "Funeral Mishaps is hilarious! Watch it. ****_Watch it now_****. Oh, I'm not going to call you, though. Need to keep a low profile. Never know who to trust, with all the feds around. I don't want the fuzz sniffing around my place. ;)"**

**All right! Let's get on with it! Anyone?**

**"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

**No cocky statement, Donald? All righty, then.**

* * *

_"The annoying thing about someone breaking your heart is the fact that you still love them."_

**Anmol Andore**

* * *

_"Thoughts are the shadows of our feelings – always darker, emptier and simpler."_

**Friedrich Nietzsche**

* * *

**Chapter Seven – Strangers and the Hunter**

**_Leo_**

Pop quizzes on a Monday.

Bullies that target random people because they could.

Anyone or anything threatening his family.

The idea that his siblings were gone for good.

Douglas. Period. Always.

Of the list of things that bothered Leo, he found that one more thing to add that was right at the top: The idea that Chase would _voluntarily_ stay with Douglas for any length of time. It was disturbing how casually the little gargoyle demon - Yahn? He could barely keep track of them - was describing Chase. Something about cat ears? And a tail? And sharp teeth, strange eyes? And _wings?_ _Not possible,_ Leo kept telling himself. _This isn't possible._

From his seat at his mission specialist desk, Leo glanced at the other three demons, who were locked in Chase's old capsule, occasionally adding commentary like the freaking peanut gallery. Adam - who was currently sitting at the cyber desk with Yahn perched casually on his shoulder - had insisted on keeping Yahn out, citing some strange reason about geckos and cruelty until Mr. Davenport had relented. Bree had taken to standing near the entrance of the Lab, looking ready to bolt. She had been silent the whole time: A troubling sign, since she usually had something to say.

Mr. Davenport, however, was busy prodding the charred portal. "So, Chase is half demon now?" he asked over his shoulder for the tenth time, at least. "And he just _ran_ to Douglas because of it?"

"Master summoned him," Yahn corrected. It turned out that the little demon was inclined to help anybody with anything. It made playing twenty questions about Chase much easier.

"Probably wasn't hard to summon a half-breed whelp," snickered Vilar, who had decided to look like a cobra again. "You'll be eaten by something that would likely be defeated if a pebble fell on his head!" The other two - who were now laughing as well - looked a little less menacing: Mesth had taken the form of an owl while Carth - no doubt to disturb them - was the exact replica of Mr. Davenport, sitting with crossed legs, the other two in his lap.

"Vânăto' is stronger than us!" Yahn snapped at them.

The three went from blatant skepticism to reverent murmuring in an instant. "Master wouldn't let Vânăto' eat us all for letting the spy go, would he?" Carth asked slowly, pointing at Yahn. "Because that was_ all _you..." The other two began to nod vigorously.

"Who's Vânăto'?" Leo found himself asking. To say that the sudden change in attitude didn't make him curious would be a lie.

"Chase," Yahn answered.

"Why did you call him Vânăto'?" Mr. Davenport asked. "And how was he even summoned?"

"Candles, incense, circles; it was fairly standard for someone of his caliber," Yahn explained like it was nothing. "As soon as Master figured out the half-breed's name -Vânăto'- he could summon him."

"Doesn't Douglas already know Chase's name?" Adam asked now.

"Other name," Mesth said.

"Is Vânăto' short for something?" Mr. Davenport had turned around fully at look at Yahn now, his eyes filled with concern for Chase's wellbeing and curiosity at this strange development.

"I'm not telling you his _whole_ name," Yahn sniffed, crossing his arms. "Master would be angry if you summoned the half-breed out from under him."

"Hold up." Leo threw a hand up in the air. "Let me just sum this up: Chase touched the portal, was turned into a half-demon hybrid, and fled. He was then 'summoned' by _Douglas_ using a second name that none of us knew. Then Douglas sent _you-_" he pointed at Yahn - "and your friend to guard us when Chase found a spy demon following us, and then sent _you_ three-" he gestured broadly towards Carth, Mesth and Vilar in the capsule - "to help Yahn guard us when you caught the _actual_ spy. Now Chase, Douglas, and the other demon -"

"Oly," Yahn interrupted helpfully. "Her name is Oly."

"Fine, then. Chase, Douglas and _Oly_ are doing who-knows-what as a second step in this process, and - this is important - Douglas, Chase and any demon he sends our way are actually on _our_ side. Am I right?"

The demons nodded while Adam, Bree and Mr. Davenport gave what seemed to be a collective frown.

Leo proceeded to clap his hands together once before throwing them straight up in the air, standing up. "That's it," he declared, making his way towards the tunnel. "I'm getting off this crazy train."

"What's a 'crazy train'?" Carth asked, drawing air quotations with his fingers.

"My life," Bree sighed, finally finding her voice. She caught Leo by the arm before he entered the tunnel, causing him to stop and shoot her a look. Sticking around wasn't something he really wanted to do. He wanted to decide how he felt about the whole situation in peace.

However, Bree had other ideas. She pointed at Yahn. "You: Were you sent to hurt us?"

Yahn shook his head. "We couldn't hurt you on purpose if we tried. Master said we couldn't, and we can't disobey."

"Why not?" Mr. Davenport asked, wrinkling his nose.

"Summoned demons have bound wills," Mesth explained.

"We're forced to do what Master says," Vilar added. "We have no choice."

Leo furrowed his brow. "Isn't that kind of like slavery? And, since he was supposedly summoned, would Chase have to do what Douglas ordered?"

"Sounds like a lot of effort when the Triton App thingy would do the same thing," Adam remarked, surprisingly observant for once as he started to scratch underneath Yahn's chin, causing said demon to close his eyes and smile. Leo wasn't sure of the strength of the bond, but he did have to acknowledge that no _stranger_ love could exist than between a boy and his somehow-recently-aquired demon friend.

"So Chase is being controlled by Douglas?" Mr. Davenport asked slowly, crossing his arms and leaning back against the table that held the broken portal, his expression laced with anxiety. "We have to get him out of there."

"Master gave the half-breed his free will," Yahn said boredly as Adam scratched behind his ear. "He can't order Chase to do anything."

"The half-breed gets his free will, but we don't?!" Mesth cried, obviously outraged.

"Where's the justice in that?!" Viral snapped, earning loud agreements from the other two occupying the capsule.

Mr. Davenport ignored them. He looked like a ten-pound weight had been lifted from his shoulders at this revelation, only to have been replaced by another equally heavy at the thought that Chase was staying with Douglas because he wanted to. It sure as hell caused a conflict in Leo's mind. It was good that Chase had free will, but to join Douglas of his own accord...

It certainly induced a headache, if not a mix of relief, anger and depression at being left behind so easily for some psycho who was comfortable calling up demonic entities. Unless Chase was more comfortable in an environment like that. Would he be more inclined to stay around demons and one who could call them at will? Moreover, was Chase still his old self, or had his transformation drawn him more towards a path of violence and dark indulgence?

"We still need to find him," Mr. Davenport said firmly. "Douglas can't be trusted."

"But what if Chase is evil now?" Leo blurted out. "We can't just invite a demon we know nothing about into the house!" Leo knew that he was sounding extremely harsh, but he met everyone's stares boldly, daring anyone to challenge him. If Chase was on Douglas' side – and a half-breed demon – then Leo, as much as he wanted to see his brother again, couldn't bring himself to trust Chase. He felt that he couldn't afford it. He'd already lost one sibling; he wasn't about to lose everyone else by rushing into anything.

"He's not a random demon," Bree countered. "He's _Chase._ And you know as well as I do that he isn't evil, whether or not he's part demon." She looked at everyone, her eyes lingering over the three demons in the capsule and Yahn. "Douglas isn't someone I want to deal with. He's too back-and-forth when it comes to us; sometimes evil, sometimes good. But I _do_ know that Chase wouldn't be with Douglas right now if he was trying to hurt us." She shrugged. "If they keep sending guards and finding spies, then maybe they know something that we don't? Something we should look into? Because we all know that this wouldn't be happening for no reason."

Her speech was met with silence as everyone thought this over, nodding a bit to themselves as if agreeing. Leo had to admit: The girl's logic was pretty sound. He even felt a bit of guilt at having thought of Chase as evil, despite the fact that he still didn't quite have the conviction Bree seemed to.

"This one is clever," Carth complimented, breaking the silence and pointing at Bree. It was the first thing he had said that wasn't born of anger since he had been locked up with his companions.

Bree inclined her head slightly, but didn't respond.

Finally, Adam sighed. "I don't know what's going on with Chase, but I want to find out," he announced, pursing his lips.

"Then we need to find Douglas," Mr. Davenport responded before he pushed away from the table and walked to a nearby weapons case, retrieving his thermal blaster in the event that everything went to hell.

Leo resisted the urge to argue with them, comforting himself a tad by noting that, if everything went wrong, he could always rub it in their faces later. But, since they wanted to find Chase, Leo decided to play along. To be honest, he wanted to see Chase again, too. He just didn't know what he would do if Chase had changed.

_One thing at a time,_ he reminded himself before gesturing at the demons. "Don't you guys know where Douglas is?"

Yahn nodded vigorously, actually grinning. The other three sighed and mumbled confirmations.

"Can you take us there?" Adam asked, looking up at Yahn.

"Great," Mesth huffed. "Now we have to be guide dogs for these idiots."

"You know, we don't _have_ to be," Vilar pointed out, coiling around herself. "We weren't ordered to listen to them."

"Then stay in there," Mr. Davenport answered. "Not a problem for us." He gestured at Adam and Bree. "Suit up, guys," he said before leaving the Lab to change into his own mission suit.

Yahn jumped off of Adam's shoulder as he stood and stretched before following Bree towards the capsules and stepping in with ease before the door closed behind them. Within seconds of them going still, a flash of color showed them changed from street clothing into their black, armored mission suits. Once they were out of their capsules again – Yahn taking his former place on Adam's shoulder – Carth decided to speak up. "I kind of want to go, too. Just to get out of…." He glanced around the capsule before placing his palms flat on the glass. "Whatever _this_ is." The other two, although quiet, nodded their agreement.

Bree pointed at them all, raising her eyebrow. "No tricks," she warned before leaning over the cyber desk and pressing a button that caused the capsule door to unlock and swing open.

The three demons seemed to pile out in relief, shifting to their original forms and sighing with relief for some reason. Leo could live with Mesth – green bobcats with two heads; why not? – and Carth – cat people were a common theme in some of his video games – but Vilar still bothered him. Something about blue, scaly dogs just made his skin crawl. "You're not seriously going out there looking like _that,_ are you?" Leo asked, wrinkling his nose.

With many overly-dramatic sighs and some eye rolling, three black Labradors appeared in their place while a parrot replaced Yahn, still perched contentedly on Adam's shoulder. "Happy?" Mesth growled sarcastically.

Leo had many responses for that – some more appropriate than others – but he swallowed them as Mr. Davenport entered the Lab again, clad in the same mission suit that Adam and Bree wore. He tightened the small blaster around his wrist and nodded at Leo. "You know that you're staying here, right?"

"But I want to come," Leo whined. He _never_ got to do anything cool. It would be nice to go on a seemingly harmless mission for _once_ in his life.

"It's three in the morning and your mother would kill us both," Mr. Davenport responded casually.

_Three in the morning?! _That_ much time had passed since the demons showed up?_ Leo sighed, trying to shove down the weariness that, upon knowing the time, was making sure its presence was not felt. Besides, Mr. Davenport was right: Tasha _would_ kill them both if Leo went out this late with a pack of demonic tour guides. "Fine," he mumbled.

"Good," Davenport responded. He pointed at the dogs. "Lead the way. And remember: We're watching you."

Amid a bit of indignant muttering, the three trotted to the entrance and into the tunnel, not even bothering to check if they were being followed. Mr. Davenport and Bree were on their heels in an instant, but Adam hesitated. He looked at Leo sympathetically and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Everything will be fine," he promised quietly before he, too, followed the tracking party.

Leo watched until Adam and Yahn disappeared around the turn before he buried he sank into the chair at the cyber desk and buried his head in his hands, letting out a frustrated groan. He couldn't help but think that something big was about to go down.

And it wouldn't be a good thing.

* * *

_"It's a brand new day, and the sun is high. All the angels sing because you're gonna die!"_

**Dr. Horrible (Neil Patrick Harris), "Brand New Day"**

* * *

_"A victory without danger is a triumph without glory."_

**Pierre Corneille**

* * *

**_Jasper_**

Master had been most displeased.

It wasn't anything Jasper could have done something about; his master had be showing off his "pet afrit" to some new summoners and had left the home unguarded, thinking that a single trap would suffice. Jasper knew otherwise, but hadn't said anything at the time, having learned long ago that trying to tell Master anything was similar to yelling in a deaf man's ear. Of course, when Master saw that the trap had been set off, yet Azazel's Bane was missing due to some very competent thieves, it was suddenly all _Jasper's_ fault. Wasn't that always the case? It's fine; just blame the demon.

Jasper shifted from his crouched position, growling a bit.

Of course, it wasn't enough that Jasper had apparently caused the whole ordeal. He had been ordered to _fix it._ He honestly had no leads, though, so what the hell was _he_ supposed to do?

Luckily, Lovett's spy – a puny little imp called Senles – had information that proved most useful, starting with who was protecting that stupid family that Master was supposed to dispose of: One Douglas Davenport. It didn't take long for Jasper to connect the break-in to the same man. Who else would it be? Azazel's Bane had been an extremely well-kept secret, known only to Master and Master's master, if one didn't count demons.

The breakthrough in that case was what had Jasper at his current location: Hiding behind some bushes, watching as some human prodded at a half-breed's side for some reason, some gargoyle imp sitting nearby, sullenly holding the half-breed's hand. Jasper hadn't been expecting anything stronger than an imp, to be honest, but the half-breed would be easy enough to eliminate. Jasper was confident that he was the stronger of the two, _especially _since his opponent was still half of a scrawny mortal.

He shifted his weight again, checking the planes he could see. This Douglas had some nerve for a man so ill-prepared. Jasper noted no shield, no traps, no anything to protect the house. Jasper almost laughed at the summoner's lack of foresight, since the man was now in possession of one of the most powerful artifacts ever created.

Jasper wasn't going to complain, though. It would make his orders easy. He could feel them tugging at him like an imp pulling on his tail.

Take out anyone in the way.

Retrieve Azazel's Bane.

And kill Douglas.

Easy enough. And just _vague_ enough to allow Jasper to have a little fun while executing them.

He gave a wicked smile as he watched the group inside, all three oblivious to what was about to hit. Let the games begin, Davenport.

Let the games begin.

* * *

**Holy shit-fit, no Chase ****_again!?_**

**I assure you that, while there is no Chase in this chapter, it was necessary for the next chapter to occur. Who doesn't like a little suspense, right? I had to set it up ****_somehow,_**** and I just couldn't do that through Chase's point of view. Let it be said, however, that both Chase and Douglas are mentally preparing for what's about to go down.**

**I still didn't like how the chapter turned out, but meh.**

**Review. Or don't. :D I still don't care what you do.**

**And tune in for next week's episode of "The Adventures of Demon Chase!"**

**Enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	8. Chapter 8 - Don't Play With Demons

**I couldn't keep you waiting. That, and this was just ****_way_**** fun to write, so I finished it quite early.**

**So, here it is: Chapter Eight! Woohoo!**

**Thanks for the reviews and stuff. Or just reading. That, too. :3**

**AllAmericanSlurp:**** Muahahahahaha!**

**Vampire Girl: ****That's okay. Chase is here now. :3**

**Moonlit:**** Despite rumors, caps lock is ****_not_**** cruise – control for awesome. Thanks, though. :3**

**So, since I'm eager to get on with this one and don't have more to say, I ****_demand_**** that Douglas get out here and start speaking.**

**"Bossy little….Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers. Happy?"**

**Very.**

* * *

_"Set this place on fire. Let the flames rise higher. As they reach the ceiling, at your feet I'm kneeling. With every trailing plume, know it bears me home. Let it burn..."_

**Mad At Gravity, "Burn"**

* * *

_"Being fearless isn't about not being afraid. It is about being totally terrified but still standing up against your fear."_

** Timothy Tam**

* * *

**Chapter Eight – Don't Play With Demons**

**_Chase_**

Have you ever had a burn? I imagine quite a few of you have; it wouldn't surprise me. So you might be able to relate when I say that I was grinding my teeth and trying to focus on anything else while Douglas inspected my side. I had caught a glimpse of my lovely war wound on the way home, and it wasn't _too_ bad. Just red and blistered; not all that severe. But it _was_ majorly painful when moved or touched, a fact that had me wincing and trying not to squirm as Douglas finally started rubbing something - wait, it smelled like aloe vera; cancel that "something," I knew what it was - on it gently. It still hurt like a bitch, but it couldn't really be helped. Besides, the worst of the sting was fading with the aloe, anyways.

"You should just let him suffer," Oly advised. "Let him learn a lesson about just _watching_ a spark rain down at him instead of _moving_."

"I think I got it," I responded, rolling my eyes. In hindsight, I really _should_ have moved out of the way.

Douglas - who had moved on to applying bandages to my side - paused long enough to gently cuff the side of my head. "You _better_ have it," he muttered. "You can get killed doing stupid things."

As I rubbed where he had hit me - more for effect than out of any pain - I found my eyes drawn to Azazel's Bane. It was resting on the table among the papers, some of which Douglas had managed to decode. When Oly showed the amulet to him, he had immediately launched into a rant about staying hidden, the opposite of which was accomplished when we stole the thing. _Then_ his lecture had segued somehow into the fight Oly and I had gotten into and the missing piece of ear he had located. It was followed by the strangest disciplinary action I'd ever dealt with: Oly and I were holding hands. For an hour. And, because it was an order, Oly couldn't let go, which meant we couldn't release each other when he wasn't looking and my voice was trying to tell me what to do.

_ You should bite her hand off at the wrist, _it suggested.

I sighed. _Don't tell me what to do, voice._

At first, when he had initially told us to hold hands, I had almost laughed in Douglas' face. Now, though, I was swearing silently never to fight Oly again because it was uncomfortable to have her practically glued to me. I wasn't quite sure about the thieving, though. It turned out to be a bit of a rush once we got away from the house. The excitement of getting something you wanted coupled with the thrill of possibly being caught was _awesome._ No wonder Douglas did it sometimes: It was fun.

Huh; never thought I'd say something like _that._

Am I a bad influence?

Nah. You people are smart enough not to steal things, right?

Maybe?

If you get arrested, don't mention my name! That's called "accessory to a crime" and I'm _not_ going down for you criminals!

I was snapped back into reality when Douglas grinned and put a Band-Aid over the end of my torn ear just to mess with me - I _hated_ having my ears touched; they were _mine_, damn it! - even though it had already scabbed over nicely. I protested immediately, pulling it off with a wince as it ripped out a few strands of fur. "Get this bitch-sticker off of me!"

"I'm only trying to help," he responded with mock-innocence as he held up another Band-Aid.

I laid my ears back. "I'm good."

"If you insist, I guess," Douglas mumbled, raising his hands up like he was surrendering.

"If it's a bitch-sticker, then you need all you can get, Half-Breed," Oly snickered.

I reached forward, took the Band-Aid from Douglas' hand and proceeded to stick it right on the tip of Oly's beak. She started muttering and scratching at it while I returned my focus to Douglas, who was watching this with amusement. "What was the answer to the key?" I asked, nodding towards the papers.

"You're going to feel like an idiot," he warned. "The letter 'e'."

The letter 'e.' The fucking letter 'e.' I_ did_ feel like an idiot. After I sighed heavily, I asked, "Got anything good?"

"Nothing much just yet," he answered. "They imply that Lovett is going to kill two birds with one stone by somehow destroying our family and several other summoners, therefore advancing his position within the Summoner's Council. And it would look like an accident. But I haven't found out where, when and how this is going to happen yet. Haven't found anything about Krane, either."

I nodded a bit again. I was about to ask more questions - specifically about how someone could _possibly_ raise their position in whatever the summoning community was - when Oly barreled into me, knocking me to the floor. I would've been pissed if a fireball hadn't crashed into the wall behind where I had been mere seconds before.

Kind of glad she tackled me. Being roasted alive was _not_ on my to-do list.

"Oly, let go of Chase's hand," Douglas said, almost shouting to be heard over the roar of burning wood and drywall, causing her to let go instantly as Douglas pulled me to my feet. We backed away from the wall rapidly, having to cover our mouths and noses and squint to see anything at all.

For those of you confused, let me help you out: Uncontrolled structure fires were _loud_. All the crackling and weakening of the supports generated a lot of noise on top of intense heat that often caused glass to shatter or crack as well as blinding light and suffocating smoke. It wasn't at all like a log in a fireplace. It was _huge_. It was _fast._ It made our eyes turn red and sting and our lungs burn. It was an _extremely _overwhelming situation to be thrown into.

And I'll be honest: I was _terrified_. There's nothing wrong with fear. Fear is what keeps us safe and warns us of danger. So don't be telling macho-assed stories about how _you_ would've handled the situation. I'm sure you would've been afraid, too.

_Especially _when the front door and windows went up in flames.

It was around this time that the fire started spreading faster than it should have, dancing and roaring as it consumed everything it could, seeming to mix with shadows to make it seem darker and more evil than normal flames.

Douglas shoved my shoulder hard, pointing at the doorway at the stairs. I nodded. If we couldn't go out, we had to go up. Maybe there would be an escape route up there. As I picked up Oly and we took off at a dead run for the stairs - don't do that, by the way; it makes breathing even_ harder_ - a massive crash sounded behind us, seeming to shake the whole place. Despite ourselves, we all three looked back for a second. A demon had literally created his own entryway through the wall and was scooping up Azazel's Bane, looking it around his neck.

I didn't even need Douglas to introduce the guy. I knew that Jasper had come to call. His resemblance to the old Egyptian pictures of Anubis – you know, human with the black jackal head thing going on; he had a pair of bat wings, but those weren't on said pictures – had me wondering fleetingly if he had ever convinced an entire population that he was a god. By the way fire was spinning around his entire being like a cloak, incinerating anything that got close but not hurting him due to Azazel's Bane – I wish I could do that trick - I would almost have believed that he was a god, too. I would've _loved_ to ask him if those drawings were, in fact, him, but he had murder written all over his face and shining in his glowing red eyes.

So we hopped on the nope train to fuck-that-ville and continued our desperate flight up the stairs, pursued by fire as if it was alive and its sole purpose was to turn us into extra – crispy corpses. The house was starting to crack and groan ominously, and though all of my senses screamed to go downstairs before the place collapsed, I followed Douglas, still carrying Oly, who had taken it upon herself to climb onto my shoulder and cling on for dear life. He hung a sharp left and vanished into his bedroom. "Keep going to your room," he called over his shoulder. "Fly away! I'll be behind you!"

I slid to a stop. "Like hell!" I spat, refusing to just jump out the window and fly off – even though I _really _wanted to - while Douglas stayed behind with a murderous afrit.

Who, judging by the loud bang that resonated from the staircase, had just put his foot through the floor. That would slow him down for all of two seconds, I was sure.

Douglas started rummaging around in a drawer by his bed, pulling out a small pouch before he glared at me. "I said _go. Now. Warn our family."_

Oly was suddenly off of my shoulders and bolting towards my room, no doubt following the order. I, however, bared my teeth and growled. "_Not without you." _I pointed at his window, which literally opened up at a point to allow someone to walk on the roof of the living room if they squeezed through it. _"We're_ getting out of here."

He looked ready to protest – finger raised and everything – when the hungry flames started to steal into the room, consuming the doorway in seconds. Seeing no alternative now – I really didn't want to win the argument _that_ way, but whatever worked – Douglas just sighed and threw the window open. "Then let's go." He used his hand to signal that I should go through, a ghost of a smile on his lips as he said, "Ladies first."

Even in a fucking demonic house fire, this man was cracking jokes.

I rolled my eyes and scrambled through the window, carefully testing my steps as fast as I could manage. The living room, after all, was almost the epicenter of the entire firestorm. How stable could the roof still be? I stopped and waited for Douglas to gracelessly pull himself through the window – he might not admit it, but he was getting too old to be doing this kind of crap – and managed to somehow make it without falling flat on his face. As he straightened up, Jasper burst into the room, the fire flaring up everywhere he came into a five-foot radius of as he charged for the window.

"And we're trapped," Douglas noted pessimistically. "How _great."_

I did a quick scan of my surroundings, reaching three conclusions. We could jump onto the top of the neighbor's garden shed – which would involve crossing our rooftop of hell, which we couldn't do safely without slowing down. We could just jump off or let Jasper eat us; that was another choice. Or – and the most likely one that would occur – it was time to fight an afrit.

As Jasper dragged himself out onto the roof with us, Douglas and I took a few cautious steps back. I even went so far as to hiss and growl.

To which Jasper responded with a loud roar that made me cover my ears and yelp.

Rude much? We were right there; no need to yell.

Also, why wasn't Jasper lunging?

My curiosity piqued, I narrowed my eyes at the afrit only to see Jasper carefully take a step forward, the roof buckling slightly under his weight. I was a little surprised – Jasper wasn't much bigger than Douglas; maybe the wings added some pounds? – but came up with a plan immediately. Azazel's Bane would stop any magical attack directed at Jasper, right? But what if it wasn't aimed at him?

Jasper pointed directly at me. "Worthless half-breed," he spat, his voice raspy and hissing. It was rather a haunting effect. I was a bit more worried about the glow that was beginning to intensify around his hand. However, before he could do _whatever_ he was going to, a sudden flash of motion beside me had Jasper screeching with agony, clawing at his face. I glance sideways long enough to see Douglas triumphantly throwing the now – empty pouch of his into the fiery cloak that spun around Jasper before I generated my force field, swinging my arms around until it shrunk into a ball before I launched it not at Jasper, but at the roof beneath his feet. It hit with a cracking sizzle, and – for a wild second – nothing happened. Then, miracle of miracles, the roof – weakened by Jasper's weight and the combined efforts of fire and technological wonder – cracked, causing the still-screaming afrit to crash down into the lower floor of the house. I glance into the hole and saw the poor guy still pawing at his face, his lower half completely hidden due to the fact that he had gone through the floor, as well, effectively buying us a bit of time. "What was in that pouch?" I asked absent-mindedly, already knowing the answer but wanting to hear him confirm it.

"Silver powder," Douglas responded casually.

Yuck. Note to self – avoid silver even more than I used to.

I hesitated for a second – let it be known that I, a half-breed, and Douglas, a mere mortal, had defeated an afrit; how bad ass were _we?_ – but Douglas grabbed my arm. "We still have to go," he said, nodding towards the shed's roof. It was either that or wait for the fire department to come get us, which we weren't about to do because A) Douglas was a criminal and B) the fire would have burned us alive by then, despite the fact that I could see the fire truck – sirens blaring – turning onto our street. I nodded, and we made our way towards the shed, testing each step and avoiding areas that seemed too weak to support us before we reached the edge and leaped. Douglas actually missed the damn thing – it was a good five-foot-long leap over a fence and down, after all – but he saved himself by catching the edge of the roof right before he undershot it. Let me tell you, hitting the side of a shed sounded like it hurt, and, judging by the bloody nose he was sporting after we both dropped to the ground and the way he forced himself to take very deep breaths on occasion, had likely broken his nose and a rib or two. However, he didn't let me worry about it – no matter how much I asked – and directed me towards the neighbor's lovely rose bushes, where we crouched down to catch our breaths.

And when I say we stopped to catch our breaths, I mean that we sat until we stopped basically coughing up ash and our lungs stopped burning quite as badly. My eyes _still_ stung – Douglas' were red and watering, so I imagined that mine were, too – but we both just sat in silence, trying to wrap our minds around what just happened.

The papers that were our only lead were gone.

Lovett and Krane either knew or would soon know our involvement in everything.

Azazel's Bane was back in the hands of the bad guys.

We had literally no tools to help us anymore.

And, as I watched the home finally give one loud, thundering crack that almost had me writhing in agony due to volume, and collapse totally on itself – I know; demon fires destroyed things _much_ faster than regular ones – I realized that we no longer even had a place to stay.

The fan: Some shit was hitting it.

Douglas nudged me with his elbow, catching my attention. I looked at him, noting that his expression was just as devastated and hopeless as I felt at the moment. "Let's get out of here before Jasper digs himself out," he suggested.

I swallowed hard – god, my throat burned; I was _thirsty_ – and nodded. We hesitated, letting some random gawkers – their faces were obscured by the contrast between the bright fire and the dark night sky - pass by us with their three stupid dogs - no doubt trying to be the first to see the damage - before we stood up and snuck away from the place. I had glanced back once – the fire _did_ look rather lovely against the dark back drop, ironically – and a realization dawned on me: That had been the first real glimpse of a demon wielding its full power that I had ever had. Jasper had destroyed an entire home within minutes like it was _nothing._ The idea made me shudder, causing Douglas to throw an arm around my shoulders comfortingly.

Don't play with demons, kids. It's dangerous.

We had successfully gone several blocks before someone broke the silence.

And by someone, I meant me.

"Douglas?"

Douglas looked at me and hummed, letting me know that he was listening.

"Have you ever considered that home ownership isn't for you?" I asked. "I mean, what is this: The _second_ house that's been destroyed? Maybe you should be a hobo. I was kind of one for three months. It's not so bad."

And, despite everything, Douglas cracked a smile. "Smart ass."

* * *

**How many chairs are going to get thrown at my face for that close family encounter up there?**

***Hides behind a flower because people wouldn't hurt flowers, right?***

**:P **

**For the record, my little sister works as a CNA - basically, a nurse's side kick - and apparently, her nurse friends call Band-Aids "bitch - stickers." It amused me so much that I had to add it.**

**Feel free to review. Or don't. Whatever. :D**

**And don't forget:**

**Enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	9. Chapter 9 - Change Incarnate

**Woohoo! Chapter Nine! *Writing like a bitch on crack***

**Three chapters. Three days. That's how important this plot-point is. :D**

**It's kind of the climax, I like to think, meaning that this story is starting its descent into the finale! **

**But don't worry; we still have some ways to go before we get there. ;)**

**Note that this chapter is shorter than the others, mainly because it's just wrapping up the attack.**

**But it's still important.**

**Because it is.**

**So sayeth the Zara.**

**I feel like I have to add something here, just to appease random people who might be wondering to themselves where the Chalas (I still prefer "Chalas" to "Chouglas." That latter sounds like something I would name a fat bulldog) fluff is. **

**It's there. **

**I don't like to do mushy Chalas scenes. It just seems so…****_off_**** for these two to express excessive emotion. And that's coming from the girl who made Chase half-demon! To me, they bond better through banter, which is why you see them messing with each other and joking around. It's just who they are. So, to those of you who crave Chalas fluff, it's in there. You just have to squint at it because it's not in its obvious fluffy form.**

**Thanks to all the reviewers and readers who are still here. I know; this story has quite a bit of filling, like a Twinkie. However, I assure you that each one is important. :3 **

**Vampire Girl****: O_o Hold that thought while I get Azazel's Bane back.**

**AllAmericanSlurp****: It was ****_so_**** subtle, wasn't it?**

**Moonlit:**** He's a cheeky little bugger. :P It's what makes him so fun.**

**By the way, if anyone has seen Oly, could you kick her back this way? She's gone missing. Anywho, who wants to do it?**

**"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

**Adam, stepping up to the plate again. xD**

* * *

_"The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance."_

**Alan Watts**

* * *

_"Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity."_

**Gilda Radner**

* * *

**Chapter Nine – Change Incarnate**

**_Bree_**

There was something about uncertainty that tended to affect people in strange ways.

Take Bree, for example: She was staring at the burning ruin of the house her younger brother was supposed to have been in with no idea whether or not he was all right while firemen ran around, struggling to contain the blaze and trying - unsuccessfully, at the mention of family members living there - to shoo them away. She should be panicking or crying or _something._ However, the only thought she was capable of at that moment was how _dark_ the fire looked compared to regular fires, in spite of how much light and heat it was generating. It was like shadows burned between the actual flames, flickering rapidly like they rejoiced in the destruction and were cheering. It was haunting. Hell, in a strange way, the sinister combination played with one another - light and dark, working towards one purpose - in a morbid dance that was eerily _beautiful_ in its intensity and strength.

She found herself thinking back to when Chase had discovered meditation a few years earlier. He had never closed his eyes or any of the traditional methods one would associate with said practice, though. He either practiced more fluid martial arts slowly or lit a candle and stared at the flame as if in a trance. She had asked about it once; had asked what he thought about when he seemed to get lost in his own world.

And he hadn't failed to give her an answer she had trouble understanding.

_Strength and change. _ Upon further inquiries, he elaborated. _There is strength in slow, deliberate motions, while fire is change incarnate._

She hadn't quite understood what he was talking about then. But now, watching a once-immovable house being reduced to ash and debris, she could _see_ it. And, at the thought of how, merely 24 hours before, she had never even known demons existed, or that her brother wasn't human anymore and lived with one of the banes of their existence - an idea she was_ still_ trying to come to terms with, despite her assertion that Chase wasn't a traitor or evil - she found that she finally _understood_ it, too.

Fire was indeed change incarnate, reducing physical objects to nothing and sometimes extinguishing life itself, only to have a new landscape or way of life and thinking replace it all in the aftermath. The irony wasn't lost on her.

"Well, I want to shake the hand of whoever did this. It's some _fine_ work."

Bree, snapped from her reverie, almost kicked Vilar right in her nose.

"Do you think Chase was in there?" Adam asked, his voice smaller than she'd ever heard it as the fire's glow played with the shadows of his face and caused his eyes to shine much more intensely than usual.

Mr. Davenport shook his head, his face paler than Bree had ever seen. "He's a smart kid. He escaped. He _had_ to."

Empty words, falling on deaf ears. Bree could hear his doubt. He was trying to reassure himself as much as the two teens.

"If it helps," Yahn began, still sitting on Adam's shoulder as a parrot, "Master is still alive. I'm still having to follow his orders."

Carth, Mesth and Vilar muttered amongst themselves, but nodded confirmation.

"So Douglas _definitely_ escaped," Adam mused. "Maybe Chase did, too?"

"He better have," Bree heard herself mumble. She'd have to march in the rubble and kick his body a few times if he hadn't survived before she tracked Douglas down and kicked him between the legs for not saving Chase.

"If he didn't survive, can I eat his remains?" Carth asked casually.

Bree actually _did_ kick him.

As the indignant demon muttered and shuffled away - his head low as he watched Bree for signs of another attack - Mr. Davenport sighed. "There's a way to find out," he said, "but it involves waiting until the fire is put out and the firemen search for bodies."

Adam and I winced. "Think they're all right?" Adam whispered, glancing at Yahn.

"I'm sure that one of them is," Yahn answered, dipping down his head a bit. "I don't know about the half-breed. I'm not going to make a guess on it."

Bree raised an eyebrow at this, but didn't say anything about it, opting instead to think aloud. "I wonder: What started the fire?"

"Big demon," Mesth barked like he was already bored with the topic. "That fire sure as hell isn't natural."

Bree frowned. "Did Douglas summon the wrong guy?"

"He'd be long dead if he did," Vilar snorted. "He probably pissed some other summoner off."

"So this was an attack," Mr. Davenport stated slowly. "Great; he's making enemies everywhere and putting Chase in danger while doing so."

"Unless Chase died," Adam cut in. "He wouldn't really be in danger anymore then."

"Don't say that," Bree hissed. Chase was fine. He _had_ to be.

"You know what? It was probably Lovett after that spy got back to him," Mesth stated. He shot a look towards Yahn. "Way to go,_ Yahn_."

"Okay," Mr. Davenport said, holding up a hand. "Someone explain this 'Lovett' guy to me as best you can."

"Long story," Yahn warned.

Mr. Davenport took a long look at the fire that was fighting just as hard to stay alive as the firefighters were to kill it. "We're going to be here a while, anyways."

The demons took turns trying to explain the guy; even Carth, who claimed to have never met Lovett, added commentary. However, instead of listening, Bree was back to watching the fire that changed the house, feeling as if it had blazed through time to change her life as well.

Fire was change incarnate. Whether it was bringing a good or bad change, though, was still up for debate.

* * *

_"...Like Noah, how they laughed amid the gadflies and the mud! And I wondered what they shared that made such desperate men beloved..."_

**Heather Dale, "The Road to Santiago"**

* * *

_"Swallow your pride occasionally, it's non-fattening!" _

**Author Unknown**

* * *

**_Chase_**

Sunrise found Douglas and I sheltering in an abandoned house on the outskirts of town. It wasn't exactly ideal, but it was better than nothing. Besides, Douglas had taught me how to pick locks to get in. Apparently, you bend a paperclip into a hook and rattle it around in an attempt to manipulate the pins for five minutes before cursing loudly and kicking the door in. It was like watching _art_. It didn't do much to alleviate the glaringly obvious pain he was feeling from his ribs, but he wasn't complaining. I had gotten the privilege of watching him reset the bones in his nose in the bathroom of a convenience store - a most interesting thing to see; it looked like it hurt, judging by how hard he had been grinding his teeth and the occasional (_constant_) whimpering.

Unable to get ourselves to sleep, we currently sat shoulder-to-shoulder, our backs against the wall as we watched the sun gradually light up the eastern sky. It, like time, marched on, oblivious to what had happened the night before. We stared at it for a while in silence before I sighed. "So now what?"

Douglas sighed himself, running a hand down his face before he answered. "I don't know. This month is a religious holiday for me, so I can't think. Ask me _next_ month. I might have something then."

"What religion?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

He glanced sideways at me. "The religion of don't fucking question my beliefs or I'll sue you, damn it."

"_Now_ who's the smart ass?" I remarked.

Douglas chuckled. "You got it from _somewhere_. Like your charm and good looks." He ran a hand through his spiky hair to accent his point.

"Are you _sure_ about the looks?" I teased. "Because I think I'm more handsome than you."

He grinned mischievously, holding both hands up innocently. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, kid."

We both laughed slightly. Then a bit more. Then more, constantly amplifying until we were gasping for air, tears of mirth rolling down our faces as our situation was currently forgotten in exchange for at least a few moments of glee.

When we finally regained control - Douglas holding his side with a pained expression; laughing was apparently painful - I pulled one knee up to my chest and rested my arm on it as I let my mind wander over the past twenty-four hours. We had lost all the momentum we had generated on this manhunt for Krane in one fell swoop brought about by Lovett. How he knew who had taken Azazel's Bane so fast was stunning; I honestly didn't know how he did it. I supposed that it didn't matter anymore, though. All I knew was that we were homeless and probably being hunted, meaning we had lost all advantages. "We're in over our heads. We need help," I finally noted, pursing my lips.

Douglas nodded. "I know."

I glanced sideways at him, not really wanting to say we both knew was coming next. "I know it's a long shot, but..." I trailed off, searching for the right words.

"You want to go to Donnie," he finished for me, his voice quiet.

"I don't know what else we could do right now," I immediately stated.

"I do." Douglas stated dryly. "Either we sit here and just watch this happen if we aren't found and killed first, we surrender, we run and hide forever, or we ask Don for help." He paused pensively. "I don't like the first two, and I've been running for years. It takes a toll, eventually." He sighed. "Let's go throw ourselves at my brother's feet and beg for mercy. Hopefully, he'll help us."

"I'm pretty sure that he'll help me," I pointed out. "He might make you and your imps sleep outside though."

Douglas smiled. "Chained to a tree or locked in a cage."

"With nothing to eat but the bread and water thrown your way once every week or so."

His face became serious. "If I don't come out of that alive, tell my story."

We stared at each other for a second before we burst into uncontrolled laughter once again.

* * *

**Woo! We're going places!**

**About Bree's entire perception of the house fire: She's interpreting it in her own way.**

**Maybe you think it could represent something else? Maybe the entire attack – Jasper, the house going down, them escaping, so on – meant something to ya?**

**It's symbolism; there are no wrong answers, really. **

**Unless you say, "The fire represents puppies." I will reach through this computer and smack you if you go that far off the rocker.**

**Feel free to give a random opinion of it in the reviews. :3 **

**Or don't and just admire it in your mind. Either way. :D**

**And enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	10. Chapter 10 - Unwelcome Guests

**Who's ready for Chapter Ten?**

**It's mainly filler, but whatever. :3 I actually like it.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed and/or is still reading this. :D Never thought that I'd get up to 57!**

***Warm, fuzzy feels***

**Thanks, guys!**

**AllAmericanSlurp and Vampire Girl**

**Your observations about the fire have earned you this table flip.**

**(/e_e****)/ ****︵ _|_|_  
**

**Enjoy, you sarcastic bastards. :P (I actually ended up laughing, you trolls. XD Love ya'll.)**

**I liked writing about the fire. I wanted it to seem more sinister than usual flames. :D**

**And Douglas scoffed at Doofenschmirtz. Toned down from rated R: "He ain't got nothin' on me!"**

**Apparently, his ego was stung. :P**

**As for Chasey's appearance, everyone refer to Chapter One. There is a fairly detailed description there. And remember: Oly bit the tip of his right ear off.**

**Thanks to ****Guest****, who helped inspire some of the meeting!**

**And whoever sent Oly back, thanks! She can hide almost as well as Douglas! O_O**

**All right, who's got this? **

**"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

**xD Thank you, Leo.**

* * *

_"Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive."_

**Dalai Lama**

* * *

_ "Courage: Do one brave thing today…then run like hell!"_

**Unknown**

* * *

**Chapter 10 – Unwelcome Guests**

**_Leo_**

Someone was trying to shake him awake.

With some muttering, Leo swatted at the soon-to-be-dead idiot and pulled the blanket tighter to himself, hoping that his assailant would get the message and leave him alone.

Of course, this earned him a one-way trip to the floor, courtesy of a forceful shove. "You are the worst guard to _ever_ have graced this world!"

Leo scrambled around on the carpet, the blanket tangled with his limbs and covering his face as he searched for his weapon: One of Davenport's T-shirt cannons. He had decided that if he couldn't go look for Chase, he could at least guard against spy demons. However, when he finally managed to free his head from the ensnaring fabric, he found himself looking up at a Yahn-look-alike that was sitting casually on the top of the couch, watching him. And, most importantly, she was holding the cannon, inspecting it with obvious disdain. "What could you do with this?" she asked, rolling her eyes. "Bury me in your delicates?"

Leo found heat rise in his cheeks at the easy way she had both snuck into the house and disarmed him. Some demon guard he made. He sat fully upright, narrowing his eyes at her as he began to kick the blanket off. "What do you want?" he asked, his voice a bit stronger than he thought it would be, seeing as he had just woken up.

"Master sent me," she answered, casually tossing the cannon over her shoulder since she had obviously lost interest.

Leo watched it land among the plants behind the couch. "To do what?" he asked, suspecting that "Master" was Douglas.

"Well, I _would_ tell the mighty warrior," she began, "but I'm not sure if I should be talking to _you, _or someone who can actually _do_ something."

Leo finally kicked free and pushed himself to his feet, dusting his pajamas off indignantly. "Too bad," he snapped. "My mom and I are the only ones here. Everyone else is looking for your 'master,' runt." He drew air quotations, his voice suddenly riddled with contempt. Was it wise to antagonize the demon?

Probably not.

But Leo was going to do it anyways because _she_ started it.

But the demon just shrugged. "Then the rest of your family might be dead. No skin off my wings."

It was all Leo could do not to lunge forward and shake an explanation out of her. _"Dead?!"_

"Oh yeah." She sat down, her feet dangling over the front of the couch over the cushions, and began to inspect the claws on her hand. "Big demon came last night. Burned the whole place to the ground. Didn't kill Master, but possibly got the half-breed." She looked at Leo. "Your next, if Lovett or his master doesn't want to wait until whenever everything's supposed to go down."

Leo was shocked into silence, feeling the blood draining out of his face as sick fear rose in his throat like bile. Demon attack? House fire? Chase possibly dying? Hell, _everyone_ possibly dying?! An involuntary shudder passed through him. His family: They could be gone, and he had been at home, _sleeping. _ He couldn't even keep a stupid imp out!

Some brother he was.

"Cheer up," the demon said. "At least they won't leave you behind anymore."

Leo snapped his attention back to the imp, wanting nothing more than to smack the casual demeanor from her. Fear was replaced gradually with rage. This wouldn't happen. Not while he was still breathing. He would either find them, or find Lovett and whoever was controlling the guy and make them pay for what they did. "I can track Adam and Bree," he found himself growling through his teeth. "You said 'maybe.' They could still be alive."

"Whatever gets you through the day," the imp drawled, unimpressed.

In a sudden burst of courage, Leo jumped forward and snatched the demon's tail in his hand before turning around and marching towards the elevator. "I'll show you," he huffed. "They're still alive!"

"Not everyone's going to live forever, you know," she hissed, clawing at his hand. She had obviously been warned not to hurt him at some point, because she didn't even break his skin. "_Especially_ not humans just because you want them to."

Leo pushed the down button repeatedly, tapping his foot with impatience. _"They're fine,"_ Leo insisted, more for himself this time.

Because the demon was right.

Bad things happened every single day. If one counted missions and all the random crap the Davenports went through, there would come a day when someone didn't come back.

And Leo desperately hoped it wasn't today.

The doors to the elevator _finally_ opened, and Leo dragged his captive inside with him, urgently pressing the button for the Lab. "You said Lovett had a 'master,'" Leo found himself saying. "Who is it?"

"Some guy named Krane, I heard," she answered, now gnawing at his hand with her sharp teeth. "For christ's sake, kid; let go! I only have one tail!"

"You're about to lose it," Leo snapped. However, his mind was stuck on the name "Krane." Of course that psycho had something to do with it. Why else would Douglas be supposedly "guarding" them? Leo was a little ticked that he hadn't connected those dots _sooner. _ Grinding his teeth, he looked down at the imp, who was pulling pitifully on her tail. He found himself suddenly thinking over the previous night.

_The demon is forced to listen to the summoner. We're bound to his will._

Hadn't he gotten disturbed at the idea of demons being forced to listen? Yet here he was, dragging an imp down to the Lab by her _tail_ simply because he didn't like what she had told him.

With a sigh, he let go.

The little gargoyle fell over immediately now that the resistance she had been pulling against was suddenly gone, but jumped up quickly, dusting herself off. "Stupid kid…." She muttered.

"What's your name?" he asked. If she was going to stick around per Douglas' orders, then he might as well call her something other than "demon."

"Olyanaeci," she answered.

What the hell kind of unpronounceable crap was _that?_ Leo just started at her.

"Master just calls me 'Oly,'" she added helpfully. "It's better than hearing you slaughter my name."

"I've heard of you," Leo said, recognizing the name instantly. As the elevator came to a stop and they stepped out, he explained himself. "Yahn mentioned you?"

Oly paused. "You know about _Yahn?"_

Leo nodded. "And Carth, Mesth, and Vilar."

Suddenly, Oly covered her eyes and shook her head with a groan. "Good god, Master sent _those_ three idiots? Does he _want_ you killed?"

"With Douglas, who knows?" Leo answered as they reached the end of the tunnel. However, when he stepped into the Lab, he was greeted with Oly's excited cry.

"Half-breed! Master! There you are!"

Leo stared at Oly and followed her gaze until he saw them, standing on either side of the tunnel entrance. Had he bothered to look around upon entering the Lab, he would've seen them easily. But he was so hell-bent on tracking Adam and Bree that it took Oly pointing them out.

Douglas and Chase, arms crossed, leaning against the wall with smiles on their faces.

Only Chase was different. More than the overly stunning cat ears and dark, dark raven wings, more than the tail that was casually tapping on the floor, more than the sharp canine teeth, Leo saw something different in Chase's _eyes._ Not just the way the pupils were slit now. No, there was a certain _glint _to them, like one who was fighting constantly _not_ to cause trouble yet enjoyed the occasional bout of mischievous activity.

Not unlike Spike when he came out to play.

Leo could already tell that this Chase was not like the one he remembered. This one was darker somehow, more sinister, more angry at everything; he seemed to have a stance that screamed, _I'm fucking pissed at you. _

And he seemed totally at ease with Douglas around, who hadn't actually made a move yet, but seemed like he wanted to be anywhere but there.

Leo suddenly wished that he had his T-shirt cannon back.

* * *

_"Who's not sat tense before his own heart's curtain?"_

**James Russell Lowell**

* * *

_ "I smile because you're my family. I laugh because there's nothing you can do about it!"_

**Unknown**

* * *

**_Chase_**

Leo started to back away from us while Oly scurried forward and sat on my feet with a grin. "I thought Jasper had eaten you for sure," she said excitedly.

"Us? Nah," I answered casually, wrapping my tail around her. Honestly, I was glad she was okay. I'd miss the snarky asshole if she died.

"Need a minute with your girlfriend?" Douglas said, raising an eyebrow.

"No," I answered. I hesitated before correcting, "_Fiancé. _We're going to elope and get hitched in Vegas."

"Don't invite me," Douglas responded, wrinkling his nose. "Never liked Elvis impersonators much. Seriously, who are _you_ to impersonate the _king?"_

I snorted. "You done there?"

"No," he responded. " I have an hour-long rant on this, so get comfortable."

"You see what you started, kid?" Oly groaned as I rolled my eyes.

_"Hey!"_

Leo's shout had us all looking at him. It wasn't like we had forgotten that he was there. He could've gotten involved in the conversation at any time. Douglas lazily eyed him. "What?"

"What are _you_ doing _here?" _Leo's voice had gone up an octave, but I couldn't tell if it was out of surprise, fear or a mix of both.

_That runt's voice is like claws on a chalkboard,_ my inner voice declared. _You should fix that!_

_I'm good,_ I thought. To Leo, I said, "Listen: We can help each other." I nodded at Douglas. "We know a little about how Krane's going to make his next move. But we lost the papers that had the information."

"When the demon attacked?" Leo asked, quickly putting two and two together.

Douglas nodded. "We know it's going to look like an accident. That's why we're here. When it hits, we'll recognize it before you do."

"And then, when it's gone," I went on, "we'll leave. We won't be a problem anymore."

Leo was watching us through narrowed eyes now, suspicion evident. "You expect me to believe that?"

Douglas shrugged. "You could just die. Not my problem."

Well, _that_ was a harsh bluff. I glanced at Douglas with a frown. "I'll _make_ it your problem," I threatened. "In fact, I'll never stop whining." I clasped my hands together, throwing on my most devastated face. "Oh, you just let them die! How _could_ you? It should've been _me_ instead –"

"All right, all _right_. Get off your cross, martyr," Douglas interrupted, chuckling. "We need the wood."

"For what?" Oly asked. "Another barbeque with Jasper?"

"I'll bring the s'mores!" I exclaimed, throwing a hand up in the air.

_"No s'mores!" _ Leo hissed incredulously.

"Fine," Douglas drawled. "That's just _s'more_ for us!"

I would've hit him if he wasn't still packing a broken rib.

We watched Douglas laugh at his own joke for a second with serious expressions before he rolled his eyes. "My comedic gold is lost on you," he declared dramatically.

"What's _wrong_ with you?" Leo was getting flustered now. "Adam, Bree and Big D could be _dead_ right now, and you're cracking jokes about _s'mores?!"_

Hold up. "Dead?" I asked, leaning forward a bit. This was news to me! I mean, just because they didn't miss me didn't mean that I wanted something _bad_ to happen to them.

Make no mistake about this: I wasn't exactly happy to go back home. Why stay where you're not wanted, right? I was still various amounts of bitter about being left to my own devices for nigh on three months. However, they were still family, and them getting hurt wasn't a good thing.

"They took _your_ motley crew of demonic minions and went to hunt you down," Leo answered, pointing at Douglas.

I saw Douglas' eyes widen. "Hopefully it takes Jasper a while to dig out or he flees," he said, his face paling slightly. I imagined that death-by-demonic-devouring wouldn't be nice and peaceful.

"Is Jasper that demon thing that supposedly attacked?" Leo asked, glaring at us now.

"No," I said sarcastically. "He's the muffin man. Who else would Jasper be, Leo?"

I had never been flipped off so fast in my life. It was almost instantaneous.

I would've been amused, had the situation been different.

"We have to go back," I breathed. "They don't stand a chance against Jasper."

"What makes you think that _we_ do?" Oly growled.

I was about to answer – mainly an explanation of why we didn't stand a chance but had to go back _anyways –_ when loud singing filled the air. I pinned and covered my ears, grinding my teeth together and trying not to sink to my knees. That sucker was _loud._ Mr. Davenport: Not a good judge of when enough is enough. Especially when it comes to him singing the ringtone to the Lab's phone line.

Never had I hated "Amazing Grace" before or more vehemently.

Leo glared at us. He pointed at his eyes, then us, then back at his eyes again. "Don't move," he warned before picking up the small red phone on the cyber desk. "Leo speaking," he said, not even bothering with something clever. I was just glad that the exceedingly loud song had stopped. Beside me, Douglas looked like a great pain had been lifted from him at the almost-silence that followed the singing. Oly was curled into a ball, somehow covering her ears with her hands, wings _and_ feet. I sighed and picked her up, placing her gently on a cabinet nearby – where she uncurled herself - while Leo continued his conversation. "So…you guys are okay, then?"

I held my breath.

Leo breathed a massive sigh of relief and actually let out a slight laugh, covering his mouth. "That's awesome. Come home."

"Thank god," I breathed, feeling some anxiety drain away.

Douglas – despite appearing relieved himself - shot me a look. "Think he'll mention us?"

"Because they're _here_. That's why," Leo explained into the phone.

"Yes, I do," I responded.

"I'm looking right at them." Leo gestured at us despite the fact that whoever was on the other line couldn't see us. "I'm not messing with you, Bree! Come home. I don't want to be with a psycho and his evil demons!"

Ouch. That stung quite a bit. Just because I was half-demon didn't mean that I was evil.

_I'm telling you: Shut him up. Tear out his intestines and hang him with them! Pull out his kidneys and use them as puppets! Shove his own foot down his throat!_

_ That's violent even for _you, _little voice._

_ I _really_ don't like him._

And, to my surprise, Bree chewed Leo out for what he said. I could actually hear snippets of her words. They were _not_ pretty. I imagined that she would get in trouble for it when she hung up. But it ended in Leo apologizing.

To her. Not to us.

But she bought it, since she had calmed enough that I couldn't hear her speak anymore.

"You'd _better_ hurry," Leo ended up growling after a second. "Fine. Bye." He hung up the phone with a frustrated bang, causing me to tilt my head. Leo turned to us and crossed his arms, obviously trying to be intimidating. "Don't try anything," he ordered. "I'll take you both out."

"Right," Douglas said, somehow keeping a straight face. "The mighty guardian's watching us, guys," he said to us. "We'd better behave, or he'll be forced to subdue us."

Oly actually burst out laughing, bringing her fist down on the cabinet repeatedly. I grinned widely with amusement myself.

Leo just sat with a huff, staring at us. For several minutes after Oly calmed down, no one said anything. We just watched each other. By the way, it's amazing how sounds are amplified when everything's tense and silent. I could hear everyone's heart beating, all the gears in the machines whirring and meshing together; small sounds like that. I started tapping my tail and rolled my weight back on one heel. This would get annoying very quickly.

Finally, Leo broke the silence. "Chase? Is it cool being a demon?"

_For christ's sake, take care of that brat's voice!_

I shook my head.

"Why not?" he pressed, frowning.

I gave him a half-smile, showing one fang. "I have an evil voice in my head. It wants me to tear out your vocal cords."

Leo suddenly had no more questions. He just scooted his chair further away from us before silence engulfed us again.

Time inched slowly on, drawing everyone closer to home. Drawing the hour of reckoning near. I would be lying if I said I wasn't getting increasingly nervous.

Oly sneezed violently, accidentally hitting her head on the cabinet.

Douglas took a deep breath to keep his rib cage expanded so that his bones healed properly.

I shifted my weight to my other heel and scratched a bit at the bandages covering the burn on my side.

Leo started to hum a Beyoncé song.

Time inched slowly on.

It seemed like a lifetime had passed before I heard the unmistakable voice of Mr. Davenport coming from somewhere down the tunnel. "Leo? What's going on?"

I exchanged a look with Douglas. I swallowed hard. I wasn't exactly ready for this reunion. I had no idea what it would bring.

Douglas just nodded, a silent signal that it would be fine.

I sighed and tried to count to floor tiles to distract myself for a moment. It was time to gamble on Mr. Davenport's mercy. With what happened the last time he saw Douglas, I didn't have a good feeling about our odds.

But he _had_ to let us in this time.

We couldn't afford to lose. It was a matter of life and death.

* * *

**Bam! Chapter Ten!**

**xD **

**I don't know why, but I had fun writing this one. I seriously cannot put my finger on it.**

**It's just a ****_filler_**** type thing.**

**Don't know why it was so amusing.**

**Oh well.**

**Feel free to review. Or don't, if you're so inclined. :3 Either way is fine.**

**Another thank you to Guest, who saw an opportunity and took it, owning it with a great suggestion. **

**Seriously. If you have a suggestion, and I like it, I might make it happen. :) Don't be afraid to say it.**

**And, as always, enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	11. Chapter 11 - I Am Not Weak

**Yay, Chapter Eleven!**

**This one gets a bit intense. Anyone else think Chase is still peeved over "not" being looked for?**

**Even though he ran away himself…and didn't want to be found….**

**Chase is weird. Just sayin'.**

**It's why he's so great. :3**

**Thanks for all the reviews and readers still reading, keeping to themselves. :3**

**AllAmericanSlurp:**** And you didn't invite us?! D: Sad day! Lol thanks. :3**

**Moonlit: **** Hang on, I haven't got my insanity bunker finished quite yet. O_o Thanks. :3**

**Vampire Girl:**** D'aaw, stop it, you. ;) Douglas would also like me to point out that he thinks he is cuter. **

**So, who's up for angry/awkward demonic family reunions!? Because this chapter isn't quite as funny as the last one. It gets pretty intense towards the end there.**

**Let's do this!**

**So who's got this?**

**"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

**Thanks, Miss Bree.**

* * *

_"Strong preys on the weak, and nobody does a thing."_

**Matthew Li**

* * *

_"Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it."_

**Mark Twain**

* * *

**Chapter 11 – I Am Not Weak**

**_Chase_**

Have you ever gotten in trouble?

Sure you have, you little delinquents.

But have you ever done something that your parents instantly knew about – and you knew that they knew – but you tried to hide it anyways until they come out with it?

Imagine that kind of situation with a bunch of demons and a slightly dysfunctional family prone to petty vengeance.

Because it was probably going to get crazy.

The first people in the room were three imps I hadn't seen before. And, upon seeing me, they all started to cower.

I mean throwing-themselves-at-me-feet, almost-crying, full-out _cowering._

_At least _something_ respects you._

"Don't eat us!" one begged, almost kissing my shoes.

"It was Yahn!" another cried out, his words muffled as he was almost flat on his face.

"Have mercy, Half-Breed!" the third implored, actually hiding behind the other two but bowing anyways.

It was _awesome._

I glanced at Douglas while everyone else piled into the room, taken aback by the random demonic display of fear. Except Adam, who actually just picked me up and squeezed me to his chest while Yahn yelped and jumped off of his shoulder. "Chasey! You're home!" His voice turned from exceedingly joyous to stern. "You're not allowed to leave _ever again."_

"Can't breathe," I gasped, struggling for a bit and pinning my ears back. "Seriously, Adam." As much as I wasn't expecting this more-than-relieving reaction – I figured that something along the lines of what Leo did would play out – I wasn't pleased that Adam had decided to throw some of his strength into the impromptu hug.

"You know what he just freaking _loves?"_

I could almost hear Douglas' smirk. He wouldn't dare.

"When you rub his ears!"

He was about to have a lot more than a broken rib and an estranged brother to worry about. _Especially_ now that he was laughing.

"Don't touch my ears!" I protested.

Bree, however, had already taken up that suggestion. She was scratching at the base of them, cooing excitedly. "You're like a kitten!" I had to stop myself from kicking her square in the stomach. Did I mention how much I hated people touching my ears? _I hated people touching my ears._ However, she stopped and caught my right one, her finger running along the missing tip. "What happened to you here?"

"He ran his mouth and couldn't back it up," Oly called from her perch on the cabinet.

"I recall lighting your tail on fire," I snapped before growling loudly, flicking my ear.

Bree jumped back in alarm.

"What are _you_ doing here?"

Mr. Davenport's voice caused Adam to turn around – still holding me in the air - so that we both could see Douglas and Mr. Davenport watching each other. Douglas threw his arms up in surrender. "Hear me out before you send me away this time."

You could probably cut the tension with a butter knife. Seriously, everyone was probably holding their breaths as we waited for Mr. Davenport to say something. Not taking his eyes off of Douglas, he asked, "Are you all right, Chase? Did he hurt you?"

I sighed. "No."

"Didn't he turn you into a half-demon thing?" Bree suddenly asked.

I smiled. "That was the stupid portal's fault."

"How did a shock from a portal turn you half-demon?" Leo wrinkled his nose.

"Look, if I knew how it worked – "

"You know how _everything_ works," Adam interrupted.

"Not that," I admitted, nodding towards the burnt-out shell of a machine that had started it all.

"There's some blasphemy right there," Leo declared.

"Right?!" I responded, glancing at him.

"Why would you know how _everything_ works?" asked one of the demons, tilting her head. For the record, blue, scaly dogs were _not_ a pet of choice for me.

"He's a super – genius," Adam started to explain helpfully. Oddly enough, all five imps seemed to listen to him more than they usually would listen to someone. Hell, his words were fascinating _me,_ even though I didn't honestly need to hear it. It was strange, to say the least. He lifted me up a bit. "This guy right here can – "

"Adam," Mr. Davenport warned, causing Adam to go silent. "You have thirty seconds," he then growled, poking Douglas in the chest.

Douglas winced visibly, but didn't say anything. "All right. A summoner named Lovett was hired by Krane to murder us. It's going to look like an accident. Probably going to involve a big demon, like the one that burned down the house after Chase and Oly decided to steal Azazel's Bane." He paused, frowning. "Actually, it's probably going to be pretty public, too, since he's trying to take out some of the Council."

"What council?" Davenport demanded.

"Summoner's Council," Douglas explained. "Anyways – "

"Wait, that's a real thing?" I cut in, a tad surprised. "I thought you were just messing with me."

"I told you I was serious," Douglas responded. He paused before finally shrugging. "That's about it, actually."

"You expect us to just believe that?" Davenport asked harshly.

"Pretty much," Douglas shot back.

Mr. Davenport rolled his eyes. "That is a psychotic story even by _your_ standards."

_"My_ standards?" Douglas huffed. "At least _I_ don't scare a kid so much that he runs away when something _bad_ happens to him!"

"Hey, I ran away to keep from hurting them!" I protested.

"Details," Douglas said, waving my words off.

"You just try to turn my kids into slaves," Mr. Davenport shot back. Wow, a minute in and they're already taking swings at each other. "At least _I_ let them think for themselves!"

"You locked them in a basement for fifteen years!"

This was popcorn-worthy.

Adam started to absently rub my ears as we watched, mildly entertained.

Which I suddenly didn't mind. What was going on here?!

Leo stood up on his chair. "Taking all bets!" he declared loudly. "One is a psychotic, unstable sociopath who summons demons while the other is a self-obsessed inventor with only a computer for a friend! Who will emerge victorious?"

"Twenty on the big one!" I immediately said, grinning.

"They're the same size," Leo pointed out, shooting me a look and gesturing at Douglas and Mr. Davenport, who had fallen silent and were just glaring at Leo now.

"I don't have twenty dollars anyways," I responded.

"They're both small to me," Adam observed. "The only thing smaller is Chasey here."

I growled and started struggling again. "I am not _small,_ damn it!"

"Watch your language!" Mr. Davenport immediately chastised.

"He can say whatever the hell he wants," Douglas huffed.

I finally got Adam to release me by flicking my wings out, catching him by surprise. I dropped about a foot to the floor and dusted myself off. "Yeah," I growled. "Don't tell me what to do."

_Good,_ my voice hissed. _Now claw his eyes out for even trying!_

"You don't tell me what to do, either!" I snapped aloud, rubbing my forehead and closing my eyes. "Stupid little voice."

"What?" I heard Bree ask Adam.

"He has a crazy evil voice in his head," Leo explained.

"I'm not crazy," I hissed.

Mr. Davenport gestured at me, looking at Douglas. "You're not even cut out to _be_ a father! You almost got Chase killed!"

"It's not his fault!" I found myself defending. "He told Oly and I not to draw attention to ourselves, but we stole Azazel's Bane anyways."

Douglas nodded. "We had no idea that someone would track Azazel's Bane that fast. I don't even know how they pinned it to us."

"What is Azazel's Bane?" Leo asked.

"Powerful protection amulet," the cat-human imp explained. Geez, I'd have to learn their names later.

"Master?"

Yahn's little voice caught everyone's attention. The little guy was hiding behind Adam's leg, actually shaking. "You know the house fire? It was my fault. I let the spy get away."

The silence was deafening. Douglas narrowed his eyes at Yahn. "You let the spy get away," he said quietly.

Yahn nodded. "It was an accident." He hid his face behind his wings. "Please don't feed me to the half-breed!"

I wasn't partial to eating demons, anyways, but whatever worked, I supposed. "So _that's_ how they found us," I mused aloud as Adam picked Yahn up and started scratching between the imp's wings. I broke into a grin and threw my hands up. "I wouldn't keep them around if they weren't good for something," I said mockingly, trying – and failing – to sound like Douglas when he had used that explanation on me.

Douglas reached over and ran a finger along my left ear. "Smart ass."

I hissed and pinned my ears, rubbing where he had touched. "Really?"

_"Enough,"_ Mr. Davenport snapped, holding up his hands. He pointed at Douglas. _"You_ get out. And take your demons with you! Every time you get involved with this family, you almost get everyone _killed. _We'll handle this problem _ourselves._"

Douglas hesitated, looking ready to say something else, but decided against it. "Come on," he said. The five imps flinched but immediately trotted up to Douglas. Adam's face fell when Yahn jumped from his arms and joined them. And, as Douglas turned to leave, I followed.

Yes; I _followed._

Because this was the second time Mr. Davenport wouldn't hear Douglas out. Even when I was on his side. See, this was yet another problem with this family: Nobody let anything _go._ I was guilty of that, as well, but I felt that I had a reason. I _tried_ to let everything go.

The insults.

Being unappreciated.

Slowly being pushed out of the family for some unknown reason.

I honestly _tried _to forgive them for it.

And it had worked, too. Up until I vanished for three months and no one seemed to care.

"Chase, you don't have to go," Bree was saying.

I glanced at her. "I actually do. He kicked the demons out, remember?"

Douglas stopped and sighed, resting his hands on my shoulders. "If you want to stay here –"

"I don't."

I could hear some gasping behind me.

Douglas didn't question it further. "Your choice," he said gently. He did smile, though.

"Really, Chase?"

I glanced behind me at Leo. "After everything that he's done, you're going to leave your _family_ for him?" He snorted, rolling his eyes. "What else could you expect from an evil demon?"

I growled and turned to face them. "What _have_ you done? Let's see here." I pointed at Adam. _"You_ always have something to say about how I'm small or useless, if you're not throwing me around the room." I pointed at Bree. "And I just _love_ how you always take his side on things, even if he's being cruel." On a roll now, I pointed at Mr. Davenport. "I absolutely _adore_ how you never seem to stop them. You just let it happen!" I pointed at Leo, this time showing my sharp teeth. "You are so quick to judge me because I'm part demon now. _I'm not evil._" Their stunned, hurt expressions almost made me stop, but I didn't. This all had to come out sometime. I spread my arms wide to indicate them all. "And, on top of all of that, you never bothered to even _search_ for me when I went missing. _Twice._ You left me behind when I was buried alive under a ton of snow. And then, over the past three months, you just seemed to forget that I existed!" I jerked my thumb over my shoulder towards Douglas. "Meanwhile, _he_ dug me out of an avalanche. And _he_ actually found me after I ran. Moreover, he actually _likes_ me. He doesn't mind that I'm a half-breed demon. He actually appreciates it because _I'm his son_."

By the way they were looking at me now, you would think that I had begun to foam at the mouth. Hell, maybe I did. My tail was lashing and my ears were laid back. Why not go the whole nine yards and start looking _rabid?_

"Let him go," I heard Bree say after a moment, her voice actually turning a bit icy. "Do we really want a demon around?"

"Besides," Leo added, narrowing his eyes in rage. "He's too _weak_ to actually do anything."

To my surprise, Adam actually protested against that, but I was so busy seeing red that I didn't hear what he had to say. I felt myself begin to shake. I had just poured my soul out to them, and they wanted to get rid of me?

I didn't know what I had expected. An apology? An admission of guilt? Anything?

Nope. I was instead, once again, labeled as "weak."

_You are not weak!_ My voice spat. _Show them!_

For once, I actually agreed.

I growled loudly, raising my arms up to shoulder level and holding them out straight, my palms open and pointed towards the walls, my breathing heavy with anger. _"I am not weak."_ My voice had dropped several octaves, somehow acquiring an echoing quality, like three people were speaking through me at once. A few beakers started flying in a circle around the room. Then some Bunsen burners. Small inventions soon followed. Leo jumped out of his chair, ducking towards the center of the room, where Adam, Bree, and Mr. Davenport were already gathering, their faces pale.

Leo's chair was the next to go. Followed by cabinets, the desks, the capsules.

I know: _Why are you using your molecularkenesis to destroy the Lab!?_

I'll explain momentarily.

_"I am more powerful than you could ever imagine!" _I snapped, my voice still eerily deep and echoing. Bits and pieces of the walls began to fly around, followed by large chunks of the soil that surrounded the underground Lab. Large pieces of the tunnel and house soon joined the vortex, followed by the street outside, the fence around the property and the neighboring homes. _"I can do greater things than you could ever wrap you minds around!"_ The next couple of blocks vanished into my whirlwind of destruction, painting it interesting colors as everything started to blur together. In the center of it, my family huddled together, Adam taking it upon himself to cover them all with his body. I grinned maniacally, raising my arms over my head towards the now-visible sky. _"Even the stars _themselves_ bow to my will!"_ The clouds overhead, the blue sky, the sun, the moon, the stars: All became blurs of celestial color in my storm of anger as is spun around us all. I watched as my family cowered with joy rising in my chest, causing a laugh to bubble up from me. _"You will never call me weak again!"_

I felt an arm loop around my shoulders suddenly, followed by a quiet whispering in my ear.

"Chase, calm down. Do you really want them to hate or fear you?"

The rage-tinted lens through which I had been viewing all of this suddenly faded away. Instead of glee at the sight of my cowering family, I suddenly felt guilt and remorse. I had been angry at them for everything, had been hoping that, if I just _told_ them how I felt, they would somehow take me back.

I wouldn't blame them if they didn't want me now. _I_ didn't want to be around me at the moment. I honestly hadn't intended to scare the piss out of them.

I dropped my arms to my side.

Everything was suddenly restored as the vortex instantly died. The Lab was in perfect order; not even the slightest thing out of place from where it was before I had let my demonic temper get the best of me. Everything was perfectly placed, as if it had never happened.

So, why was I using my molecularkenesis to destroy the Lab?

I wasn't. I had created an illusion. Neat, huh?

Of course, a trick that massive took a lot of energy to pull off.

An overwhelming wave of dizziness caused me to slump backwards a bit into whoever had taken it upon themselves to hold my shoulders. Took me a second to figure out that it was Douglas. "You all right, Chasey?" I heard him ask, slightly alarmed.

But, instead of answering him, I growled in my now-normal voice, "I am not weak."

Then, like someone had drawn a curtain over everything, my world went black.

* * *

**Now ****_that _****was some Chase-rage!**

**Talk about pent – up anger! That was ****_years_**** in the making!**

**Before everyone starts going all, "That was mean, Davenports! You meanies," bare in mine that demons aren't really something they deal with. In fact, they spent most of forever thinking they were evil myths. Keyword: Evil. And that Chase wanted to go with someone who was rather comfortable with these "evil" things wasn't something they were prepared to accept.**

**So don't hate them too much. ;)**

**And remember when I warned you that this story would take them into OOC land? Here we are!**

**What was with Adam and all the demons? Why do they like him so much? :O**

**Feel free to review. Or don't. Whatever. :3**

**And enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	12. Chapter 12 - Forget Me

**It's tornado season! I'm so happy! :D Not even being sarcastic.**

**Which means that my various pets will be waking me up when the air pressure drops, allowing me to actually write this today.**

**So thank Chip, the spazzy guinea pig, for Chapter Twelve being early due to a very loud thunderstorm.**

**I've also seemed to notice something. Correct me if I'm crazy, but every chapter seems to get five reviews. O_o Maybe I'm seeing patterns everywhere? If someone could also look at that – remember, there were 67 when this chapter came out – and prove me either wrong or right, I'd appreciate it. It's driving me up a virtual wall.**

**Also, I was bored last night and decided to do something a bit fun: But only when I hit 75 reviews.**

**When that happens, everyone from review 76 on gets to ask one question. About anything.**

**As long as it's not too personal or just an extreme Hybrid spoiler (yes, questions about Hybrid are fair game, so long as it doesn't ruin the story), I'll answer it. **

**Feel free to still not review, if you're so inclined. Just keep that in mind. Zara will answer your questions. ;)**

**Thanks to everyone who's reviewing and reading! 67 reveiws! I'm all warm and fuzzy on the inside still. :3**

**Moonlit****: Crap. I was going to name each and every chapter from here on out that. D: Oh well. :3 Also, I'm starting to think you just like to caps rage in the review box just for the hell of it...**

**AllAmericanSlurp****: He was just a wee bit miffed there, wasn't he? Poor little guy; he just wants a hug...And for everyone to lay off his ears...**

**Vampire Girl:**** I'm not sure if it's necessarily "on," per say, but it is ****_definitely_**** going places.**

**gg180000:****_Nooooooo!_**** Damn it, damn it, damn it! He ****_should_**** have said that! You just pointed out a golden opportunity that I missed! D: I'm going to now bang my head against the wall repeatedly.**

**This chapter is a bit short, but I think it makes up for it in "No! Why would you ****_do_**** that!?" moments.**

**And thus, who wants to say it?**

**"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

**Thank you, Miss Tasha. :3**

* * *

_"Here lies everything: The world I wanted at my feet..."_

**Dr. Horrible (Neil Patrick Harris), "Everything You Ever"**

* * *

_"No more dreaming of the dead as if death itself was undone. No more calling like a crow for a boy, for a body in the garden...No more dreaming like a girl so in love with the wrong world..."_

**Florence and The Machine, "Blinding"**

* * *

**Chapter 12 – Forget Me**

**_Chase_**

Waking up was a bit of a surprise.

Oly had taken it upon herself to sit on my chest for some demented reason and just _stare_ at me, so my first sight was large yellow eyes right in my face.

Naturally, I yelped and punched her, causing her to stumble and fall off of me, landing on her back on the mattress.

Yes: It turned out that a bed had appeared under me at some point. Just when the hell did_ that_ happen?

Next, I was pretty sure that Mr. Davenport would've kicked us out by now. Since Douglas' house burned...where _was_ I?

"Jesus, Half-Breed," Oly whined, rubbing her nose. She sat up and glared at me. "I was just watching you like Master said to. No need to get pissy."

I sat up before I answered, placing one hand behind me to steady myself and rubbing my eyes as a slight throb started in my head. Just what I've always wanted: A headache on a bad day. "I'm sure he didn't tell you to get in my face while doing so," I hissed finally, looking at her.

"He said to stay close," she sniffed, crossing her arms. "I couldn't get closer than that."

I raised an eyebrow. "Was it a good idea?"

Oly just growled at me.

With a slight chuckle, I started to examine the room I was in more closely. To my surprise, I found that I _was_, in fact, in the Davenport mansion. Leo's room, to be exact. Nothing much had changed: A new poster for the movie "Divergent" was hanging near his closet, and his desk was somewhat cleaner. Small changes like that, really.

And one that seemed small, but suddenly spoke volumes to me.

A little framed picture I'd never seen before rested on his nightstand. But what caught my attention were the the people in it.

Tasha and Mr. Davenport were standing in the back with Adam, grins on their faced as Leo, Bree and I, dressed in beach attire, sat in the foreground in the sand, smiling as well. I remembered that day: We had taken a vacation to the beach. Sure, we had almost destroyed the world on accident, but it was still a fun day. Leo had insisted on taking the family photo before we left, citing that it was a commemoration of their first vacation as a family.

When had he framed that?

_Why_ would he frame that? Seemed counter-productive, in all honesty. If you wanted to forget someone, why would you keep a picture of them? Especially one of a bonding moment so dear to both he and I? I swallowed and picked it up, my hand shaking a bit. Because the answer was simple: He _hadn't_ wanted to forget me.

"Half-Breed?" Oly waved a hand between my face and the picture, drawing me from my thoughts. "You all right?"

I glanced at the picture for another second before I set it back down on the nightstand, now left with questions in place of the abandonment-fueled anger that had caused me to snap earlier. Of course, it wasn't like they would listen to a word I said now. So I couldn't really ask. _Had_ they searched, and I just not noticed? I was pretty good at hiding, when I wanted to be. And I _had_ wanted to stay hidden.

I felt like I was going to throw up when horror rose in my chest.

Oh, god; Was I too hard on them?

_Yes,_ I thought. _And now, there's nothing you can do. You burned _those_ bridges._

Whoops.

I swallowed again, attempting to force away the numb, guilty, horrible feeling that had started to grow in my stomach. It didn't work, but I nodded at Oly, anyways. Clearing my throat a bit, I finally said, "I'll be fine."

Because even if Douglas and I were granted asylum until the danger passed, there would come a time when he was driven out. And, no matter how sorry I was, no matter whether or not they wanted me around, I would be sent away, too. Because they _feared _me.

Because I was a monster.

Because I was a terrifyingly powerful demon, and that made me evil.

At least, it did in their eyes. Hell, it did in mine, too, at the moment.

Not that my lovely display of fury had helped to dispel that preconceived notion.

Wasn't that what I wanted, though? Them to show me some respect? To acknowledge that I, too, was strong?

_Not if you pushed them away in the process,_ I thought wryly.

So I had to start telling myself that it would be all right in the end, when they would turn away from me forever, like Mr. Davenport had done to Douglas.

Funny; without the bitterness, the idea of leaving them behind and vice versa was suddenly extremely hard to face.

Way to nail your coffin shut, Chase.

"Where's Douglas?" I asked, forcing myself to focus on the moment rather than the dismal future.

Oly sat down, curling her tail around herself. "About a mile from here with his other imps." She grinned. "I'm supposed to be there, too, but he didn't want to leave you alone here. Besides, locked doors can't keep us in OR out," she added, pointing at the closed bedroom door.

"So I'm a prisoner," I stated bluntly. Nothing says "you fucked up" like your own family holding you captive! Although it was a mystery as to why I wasn't in a capsule.

I wasn't about to question luck, though.

"Sure," Oly drawled. "If you were human."

Right: The whole demon thing. I could just float out of here as a puff of smoke. Or jump out the window and fly off.

Go us!

"You ready to go?" Oly asked, standing up and jumping down onto the floor. "Because I'm bored and Master says that we have to work _twice_ as hard as we did originally to find out what's going to happen." She put her hands on her hips and snorted, rolling her eyes. "I swear, between you and him, I lost a thousand years off my life."

I rolled my eyes, but kicked my legs over the side of the bed, leaning on the nightstand experimentally as I stood up. When my legs decided that they did, in fact, wish to hold my weight, I stood up fully. "All right," I told Oly. "But I have to do one thing, first."

"Hurry up," she growled.

"It'll take a second; I promise," I assured her as I walked to Leo's desk. I dug around a second before finally finding my target: A piece of paper and a pencil. Scribbling out a short message, I then put the pencil down and returned to the nightstand, where I picked the picture of everyone up again. After a second of staring at it, I slipped it out of the frame and replaced it with my note. _He probably has a copy,_ I thought to myself as I folded it into fourths and slid it into my pocket. Just something to remember them by, I guessed. _He won't miss this one_. "Okay," I finally said. "_Now_ we can go."

"About time," she muttered as I threw open the window.

I nodded again before pausing, taking one long look around as it finally sunk in that I might never set foot in this place again.

I was having to swallow down a lot of emotions today.

Beside me, Oly had already turned into a robin and was eyeing me closely before she took a flying leap through the opening. I sighed and loosened myself up, changing around to take on the guise of a raven before taking off, flapping wildly until I managed to get enough lift to fly out the window after Oly, following her as she lead the way to Douglas.

You know, it's amazing how no one even notices when a pair of birds just fly out of a bedroom window. Kind of makes you think about how small you really are.

* * *

_"Everything I am, and everything in me, wants to be the one you wanted me to be. I'll never let you down, even if I could. I'd give up everything if only for your good. So hold me when I'm here; right me when I'm wrong. You can hold me when I'm scared. You won't always be there, so love me when I'm gone…."_

**3 Doors Down, "When I'm Gone"**

* * *

_"Don't walk away…when the world is burning…."_

**Poets of the Fall, "Carnival of Rust"**

* * *

**_Leo_**

"Look," Mr. Davenport was saying, rubbing his eyes. "Douglas obviously got to Chase somehow. I _know_ that he kind of destroyed everything, but he's still Chase. We have to get him back to normal."

Leo had honestly never seen Mr. Davenport look so _old_ before. His whole demeanor had just shrunk after Chase's display in the Lab a few hours earlier, like he was just plain tired of everything happening all at once. It was a little sobering to see.

Bree scoffed. "You saw what he did down there. I don't think he even _wants_ to be saved."

"If he's part demon, maybe we can do an exorcism?"

Leo found himself looking at his mother like everyone else. Leo had to remind himself that she was only trying to help. Chase was her son, too, after all. It had been her idea to put him in a bedroom rather than in a capsule. Something about waking up in a comforting place might calm him down. Or so she had reasoned.

"Exorcisms don't work on demons," Mr. Davenport said after a second. "Just poltergeists. Besides, he isn't possessed."

"What's wrong with him being a demon?" Adam asked. He had been rather upset after Mr. Davenport forced Yahn to leave with Douglas. "Demons are cool."

"Demons are evil," Leo explained slowly.

"But Chase isn't," Tasha rebutted instantly.

"Right," Bree interrupted. "That's why he's with Douglas now, isn't it?"

"It's not like we exactly helped that situation," Mr. Davenport countered.

Everyone fell quiet. Although it wasn't spoken about aloud, everyone had agreed that Chase's rant in the Lab was mostly true, if one disregarded the accusation that they hadn't searched for him. He was the one that, because of his seemingly simple powers, was taken for granted and used the most. It was a wonder that no one had actually foreseen a situation like this presenting itself before. In hindsight, it had only been a matter of time before Chase exploded on them all.

After several moments, Leo found himself restless. This silence, this inaction; it was starting to bother him a bit. He stood up. "I'm going to go to the bathroom," he mumbled half-heartedly, really just searching for an excuse to leave. No one even questioned him as he left the conference circle – really just a general gathering of Davenports on a single couch – and, taking the stairs two at a time, basically fled the scene. But, despite is excuse, he found himself instead drawn to his bedroom. Locked inside the door was a paradox: Leo's demonic, loving brother. Leo froze outside the door, wondering if he really should consider Chase his brother anymore.

The answer was an instant yes.

Demon or not, Chase was still his family. And, when his family was in trouble, Leo was going to help them. But how could he help someone who didn't _want_ his help?

Leo set his jaw determinedly. _I'll have to convince him that he needs us more than he needs Douglas._

With that goal in mind and a knack for skillfully winging things, Leo unlocked the door and stepped inside. "Chase, are you –"

Greeted by an empty room, Leo froze. The curtains around his opened window moved a bit with the morning breeze, signaling that Chase had gotten the hell out of Dodge. Leo didn't honestly know if he was alarmed for everyone's safety, concerned for Chase's health (he had just passed out, after all), or relieved that he hadn't actually had to handle a potentially irate demon at the moment.

It was then that the picture on his nightstand caught his attention.

Or the lack-thereof.

Silently, Leo crossed the room, feeling as if his feet were moving of their own accord. It was almost like an out-of-body experience, like he was watching himself as he picked up the picture frame, now devoid of a cherished photo - he had copies, anyways - and read the note that had been left behind in Chase's neat handwriting.

_I'm sorry for everything. I love you all, and I'll miss you – hope you don't mind me taking the picture, by the way - but I'm a monster. It's better for everyone to forget me._

_-Chase_

Leo didn't realize that he was crying until wet tear stains started to spread across the note.

Because before, there had always been hope that Chase would come back.

Because now it was official that, this time, he _wouldn't._

Of all the things he should've done – alert the family, call Eddy up to show him the footage of Chase leaving, or even just trying to go find Chase himself – he just sank down onto his bed, his mind continuously repeating the sentence that he was sure would haunt him for the rest of his life.

_It's better for everyone to forget me._

* * *

**That was upsetting.**

**I'm not fond of how this chapter turned out wholly – I can't do sad, mushy scenes to save my life; go figure – but I tried, damn it! :D**

**Who do you think is justified in their thoughts here? Chase? The Davenports? Who's right?**

**Feel free to review and tell the world. Or don't and admire your thoughts in private. :3 Whichever works best for you.**

**Remember, after review 75,people get to ask one question that I might answer, if it isn't personal or a major Hybrid spoiler. Just sayin'. ;)**

**And, as always, enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	13. Chapter 13 - Not a Thing

**Chapter Thirteen, ya'll!**

**I wasn't expecting all the reactions to be sad. O_O I didn't think I did that great.**

**My words must be riddled with unknown power! YES!**

**I think you left exactly five reviews to mess with me this time. O_o You sneaky conspirators. I'm tellin' ya, it's a pattern!**

**Remember: After review 75, I'll answer your questions. Personal life details (name, age, that shit) and major Hybrid spoilers won't be answered, but everything else is fair game. Even if it doesn't pertain to Hybrid! If you don't want to review, that's fine, but if you're dying for answers, you may want to pop in to say ****hi.**

**Thanks to everyone reviewing or just reading. :3**

**Moonlit: ¿Por que no? He tends to overthink things sometimes...**

**DisneyXDGirl: Get crackin' that whip and make the Davenports form a search party! They're a bit too stunned at the moment to do it themselves. Better yet, send Marcus to do it. ;D**

**Vampire Girl: Testify, girl! *finger-snapping poetry applause***

**AllAmericanSlurp: What is this thing called a..."social life?" O_o It sounds terrifying.**

**Of every chapter twelve review, I got a mixed poll result on who's right:**

**Chase**

**The Davenports**

**Both, since the Davenports don't have the full story**

**Loved the chapter**

_**"Go find Chase right now!"**_

**I love you guys. :P**

**Anyways, who's ready for a sadly short chapter? Yahn?**

**"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

_"...The cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon; little boy blue and the man on the moon. When you comin' home, Dad? I don't know when, but we'll get together then..."_

**Harry Chapin, "Cat's In The Cradle"**

* * *

_"...Self-inflicted, his perdition..."_

**10 Years, "Wasteland"**

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen - Not A Thing**

_**Chase**_

"Well, _that_ was a bust," Douglas called, cupping his hands around his mouth.

Honestly, I don't know how he recognized Oly and I when we were freaking birds - especially since humans could see planes without extreme concentration (he'd only see down to the second one, anyways; we were birds all the way to the fourth) and I saw no signs of the three grovelling imps anywhere - but I didn't question it.

Actually, scratch that: I was going to question this!

Oly and I backwinged and landed in the alleyway at Douglas' feet, hesitating a second to exchange our bird guises for our original bodies - home sweet home - before I cocked my head. "How did you know it was us?"

Douglas raised an eyebrow. "How many injured ravens follow injured robins?"

He had a point. Oly and I _were_ still all kinds of scratched up. I nodded. "Makes sense." I backed into a brick wall and slid down until I was sitting with crisscrossed legs, my tail wrapped around my legs so that my tail tip rested in my lap. "That was a _huge_ bust," I sighed, finally responding to his original statement. I let out a slightly sarcastic laugh, smiling a big. "Actually, I don't know why I thought going to them was viable in the first place."

Douglas sat beside me. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend," he quoted.

"Because that worked out _so_ well," I snorted before rubbing at my eyes. After a second, I asked, "Where are those other three imps?"

"I Dismissed them," Douglas answered, casually waving his hand. "With everyone so on-edge about demons, I imagine that any other guards sent would be recognized instantly, especially by Adam. So those three weren't needed anymore." He paused before smiling. "I bet they've imprisoned a few innocent insects by now because of us."

I nodded. "Probably." I then looked at him quizzically. "Wait, why would Adam recognize a demon?"

"The tall kid?" Oly asked, frowning. She had her hands on Yahn's shoulders for some reason. "He's a Persoană Fermecătoare. Duh."

"A _what_?" I asked, perking my ears towards her.

"A Charmer," Yahn translated helpfully. "You didn't feel it? That little aura that he gave off? Didn't you want to listen to him talk forever?"

"He _was_ pretty fascinating," I admitted thoughtfully.

"Charmers are people who have a certain appeal to demons," Douglas explained. "No one knows why, but demons are really, _really_ fascinated with them; sometimes, Charmers can get demons to do things voluntarily. They can usually tell when a demon is around." He grinned. "It's a gift, although others argue that anyone attracting demons must be cursed. At the moment, it's something that can be advantageous when Adam figures it out."

"Charmers are rare," Yahn added as Oly began to scramble up on his back. "I've only met a few hundred in all my years." By the time he finished telling me this, Oly had climbed fully onto Yahn's shoulders to look over the top of a dumpster just in case something nice was there for her to take.

"But why is Adam a Charmer?" I asked. It seemed a little _too_ coincidental. I mean, think about it: Douglas - his father - was a summoner, and Adam just so _happened_ to be a Charmer. Anyone else feel like some details were missing? "Why him?"

Douglas took a deep breath and sighed, his expression suddenly sad and distant. "Genetics. Dad was a Charmer." However, instead of saying anything else about it, he changed the subject. "Anyways, how did you escape?" He nudged me with his elbow. "They didn't give you trouble, did they?"

I really wanted to ask more questions about Douglas' father - my grandfather - but he probably dropped it for a reason. So I just shook my head. "No trouble from anyone."

Surprise spread across Douglas' face at this. "Wait, seriously? They sure gave _us_ hell about it when we tried to take you with us."

"They didn't know I left," I explained. "Oly and I took flying leaps out the window. They were none the wiser." I paused, having to force down a threatening lump in my throat as I unconsciously touched the pocket that held the picture, blinking rapidly as my eyes started to water. "You know, it _sucks_ being a family's outcast." I glanced at him. "How do you do it?"

"It's not _that_ bad," he soothed, smiling a bit as he threw an arm around my shoulders. "You get used to it eventually." He hesitated before adding, "Throwing eggs at Donnie's house occasionally helps, too."

At his half-serious suggestion - he'd probably done it - I smiled slightly and sniffled once, wiping my eyes as I gave a slight laugh. "I'm surprised you didn't say something like tagging his offices or keying his cars."

"Oh, I did that, too," Douglas admitted easily, actually scoffing. "Not as much fun as throwing things in rage." He chuckled himself. "I have more elaborate ideas now than I used to."

"Those were centered around Adam, Bree and I," I pointed out.

He waved my words away. "Details, kid. Details."

I laughed a bit harder, cheering up slightly as I pictured Douglas committing various acts of childish revenge.

Oly - now holding a rhinestone that she had obviously pried from something - jumped from Yahn's shoulders and landed in my lap. "Who needs 'em? Just spit in their direction when you cross paths and live your life."

I rolled my eyes, but bit back a response. It was hard for her to be sympathetic, as she never had a family. It seemed like a horrible, lonely existence to me. Of course, you can't miss something that was never there.

"Now," she went on, "tell me: Does this look as great as I think it does?" Before I could as what she was talking about, she licked the silvered backing of the rhinestone and stuck it on the thin membrane stretching between the fingers of her right wing.

Sadly, it took me until then to remember that Oly, though a pretty vicious demon, was still a feminine creature. "By itself, no," I answered honestly. Her face fell instantly as Yahn and Douglas started snickering. "Hey, I wasn't finished," I announced. "If you got some more and put them on both wings, I think it'd look pretty nice."

Right? Imagine it: Every time she moved her wings, they'd shimmer a bit. How cool would that be? I know that I'm a guy and all, but that didn't mean I couldn't appreciate a fashionable idea for a lady demon.

She grinned smugly and extended her wings a bit, sitting up taller. "I think so, too."

"Seriously?" Yahn snorted. "She'd look like a fool!"

"They're not _your_ wings," Oly snapped back.

Douglas sighed and pointed at her, raising his eyebrow at me. "I hope you know what you've done."

I just smiled as Oly stuck her tongue out at Douglas before she took a flying leap back into the dumpster to hunt for more rhinestones. Yahn sighed. "She'll drive us mad, Master."

Douglas shrugged. "When _didn't_ she?" He smiled fondly. "She reminded me of Bree just now."

I frowned. I couldn't recall her asking for my advice on fashion. She always just kind of did her own thing. "How?"

"When she was little," he answered, "Bree was endlessly fascinated by shining objects. So, when she found one - maybe a loose nut or some wrapper from a candy bar; something like that - she would take it to her spot behind her capsule and add it to the cardboard box she collected them in." He chuckled. "Sometimes, she would take them out and line them up, one by one, or arrange them into little patterns before shining a light on them so that the design lit up. She used to be quite an artist. Her eyes would light up, like she'd seen the most beautiful thing in the world. All over little pieces of debris." He then sighed, his smile fading slightly. "Of course, you and Adam _had_ to find her collection one day."

"I remember that!" I interrupted suddenly. Then, I winced. "We hid the box in Mr. Davenport's desk to get back at her for telling him that we had been playing with his inventions again. But Mr. Davenport found them first, thought they were trash and threw the box into Eddy's compactor. She was so upset, she didn't talk to us for days." I hesitated, suddenly feeling horrible. "I thought she was over-reacting. I didn't know that they were _that_ special to her."

"She didn't really do anything artistic after that," Douglas said quietly. "Her eyes never lit up quite the same way, either. She used to find so much beauty in little things."

"She still does," I defended. Then, I found myself sighing. "She just doesn't get excited about it." It was a bit upsetting to think that Adam and I had taken that small joy from her when we were younger. However, that gave way to a realization. "Wait: How do you _know_ that?"

"Eddy was _never_ hard to hack," Douglas explained. "I would spend hours watching you guys play and grow."

"Sounds boring," I noted.

He laughed. "With you three? Never."

"So...you watched us grow up?" I asked slowly.

He smiled, squeezing my shoulder in a kind of halfway hug. "I know I wasn't there; Donnie wouldn't have allowed it because of how much of a wild card I was back then. I really screwed myself over there. But I didn't miss a thing, Chasey. Not a damn thing."

* * *

**Shit...caught the feels, bro...got me all fucked up.**

**So, anyone else catch that? Can it be?**

**It is!**

**Summoner Douglas has a Hybrid backstory!**

**Gasp!**

**Do we want to know what it is?!**

**Hells yeah!**

**Are we going to have to wait until Chase finds out what it is?**

**Absolutely!**

**MUA HA HA HA HA!**

**Feel free to review. Or don't. :3 Your business.**

**And enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	14. Chapter 14 - Promises and Forgiveness

**Chapter Fourteen...**

**...is just a filler.**

**Boo! Oh, well.**

**As was pointed out, we have passed 75 reviews together! Woohoo!**

**If you have questions, fire away. Just remember: No personal info, no massive Hybrid spoilers.**

**:P Have at it, you creative trolls.**

**Thanks to everyone who's reviewed. Many feels from many people. Squee. ^_^**

**AllAmericanSlurp: Yay! Hear that, Chase? You have a stalker! :D ...Wait, _where are you going?! _We have a story to do! D:**

**gg180000: This just in: There are reports of _stalking_ around the trio of Davenport children. Sources say that it has been going on for years at this point. We have the suspect in the studio with us now. We go live to him with our questions: Douglas, what do you say to these accusations of stalking?**

**"You call it 'stalking', I call it 'lovingly lurking in the shadows'. Back to you, Zara!"**

**StealthySerpentineShadows: School happens. :3**

**DisneyXDGirl: Well, yes, but he's kind of the one who has just the right mentality to not immediately see demons as "evil." He's never met 'em. How would he know?**

**Moonlit: We've barely scratched the surface of Douglas' back story here. :3 We'll get there soon. And I'm using that word now.**

**Vampire Girl: Well...Yahn's profile was a bit long, so I _did_ answer your question. But you'll have to go to my profile to see it. As for question two, I don't know about "great," but I _can_ tell you that years of practice pays off.**

**And so, here we are. Let's just do this thing. Douglas?**

**"Again, woman?! *sigh* Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

_"'Cause you can't jump the track; we're like cars on a cable, and life's like an hourglass glued to the table. No one can find the rewind button, girl, so cradle you head in your hands and breathe. Just breathe."_

**Anna Nalick, "Breathe (2 A.M.)"**

* * *

_"...If you're scared about the future, I'm scared about the past..."_

**Eskimo Joe, "Setting Sun"**

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen - Promises and Forgiveness**

**_Adam_**

Adam and Bree searched everywhere Chase used to like going first.

The public library - why anyone would go to that boring place was beyond him - had turned up nothing. The high school, even though it was Saturday, was fruitless. The various museums in town held no water. The technology-oriented stores bore no traces.

So, after a while, they started searching places _Douglas_ might have liked.

They again found themselves at many of the same places they had gone to look for Chase. It hadn't quite occurred to Adam how similar the two were until they had to think like them. However, they _did_ hunt around a cemetery - maybe Douglas liked ghosts, too - and the still-smoking ashes of Douglas' destroyed home. Aside from a few footprints that could've been made by Douglas - they were about the right size - there was nothing to indicate that Chase was there.

And so, with empty hands and heavy heart, they had started towards home. Mr. Davenport would be calling soon, anyways. The sun had set an hour earlier, and - in the event that Douglas _hadn't_ been lying - Davenport wanted them home by ten.

For the most part, Bree had been silent, lost in her own mind. Though Adam had a feeling that she wanted to share her thoughts - she looked ready to speak several times, but never did unless it was to suggest where they should try next - he just let the silence drag out. It was easier that way. She had been rather hurt that Chase would chose Douglas over then, that he would create a destructive whirlwind that targeted them, and that he would run away a _second_ time. More than that, she was scared. Chase wasn't exactly Chase anymore. He was a demon. That made him evil, right?

And she hadn't quite been able to shake that.

Of course, it had only been a day since everything was dragged into the open and hashed out. Adam figured that she probably needed time to process everything before she voiced her opinion.

As for himself, he just wanted to find Chase. And hopefully, by proxy, Yahn, as well. As much as he missed his younger brother, he missed the imp who had sat on his shoulder for hours the night before. The little gargoyle wasn't evil. Mischievous, sure, but definitely not evil. And neither was Chase; he was just angry at them.

Adam knew that he had some part in generating that display of force Chase had put them through in the Lab that morning. It had been a terrifying blur of color and sound, but never once was anyone hurt.

Because, no matter how mad Chase was, or how much of a demon he'd turned in to, he wouldn't hurt them.

And Adam knew it.

For some reason, this simple conclusion had been overridden in everyone else by fear of the unknown. It was like they forgot who Chase was. Hell, it was like _Chase_ forgot who he was, since he thought he was a danger to everyone. The only ones who _weren't_ worried that Chase would hurt someone were Douglas and Adam himself.

Adam sighed. Once again, everybody was over thinking the situation.

"You know that they're probably long-gone now."

Adam was so surprised to hear Bree's voice that he jumped a bit. "How do you know?"

"Think about it," Bree explained. "They _have_ to know that we're looking for them. If they want to maintain their freedom, why _would_ they stick around?"

"We're not going to imprison them, Bree," Adam reminded her, pursing his lips.

Bree stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. "We didn't lock Chase up this morning, and look at how _that_ turned out."

Adam stopped, turning to face her with a sigh. "Bree, we're _not_ going to lock Chase away."

"Why not?" She tapped her temple with one hand. "Open your eyes, Adam. He's not Chase anymore! He's Vânăto or whatever that _thing_ called him -"

"_Yahn_, and Chase is still Chase," Adam interrupted, feeling some anger stirring in his being.

"Chase is a _demon_," Bree hissed, throwing her arms out wide. "You were there this morning. You saw him tear everything up. What if it's not a trick next time, Adam? _Then_ what? And your little demon friend - Yahn or whatever - is probably just as evil!"

There that word was: Evil. Adam tried to stop her rant before he unleashed his frustration on her, too. "Bree-"

"And you know how much everyone suffered when he left three months ago!" Bree continued anyways.

"_Bree_-"

"And then, he just wants to come back with Douglas and some demon pals like everything is _normal?!" _She rolled her eyes before throwing her hand up in the air to eye level and gesturing in circles with it, pinching the bridge of her nose with the other. "Oh, hey," she began, her voice an exact replica of Chase's, "I know I drove you crazy when I abandoned you, but I'm back, so we can all go back to our normal lives! By the way, here's Evil Uncle Daddy; I've been living with him. Oh, and he just so _happens_ to summon demons like me! Hope that's cool!" She then held her arms out in front of her, palms open in a "hold-up" kind of gesture. Still sounding like Chase, she went on. "Wait, you don't _want_ Douglas or demons here? My bad. I'll just leave you again to stay with _then_, even though _you're_ my _family_."

Adam felt a wave of realization wash over him. It wasn't the demons, Douglas, or even the fear that Chase was evil that was bothering Bree so badly.

Under everything, Bree felt like Chase had abandoned them. Had abandoned _her._ That he had done so willingly; happily, even.

Adam caught Bree by the shoulders, forcing her to finally hold still and look at him. "Bree, he didn't leave us because he hates us," he said firmly. "I think he was scared. I think he _still is_. He thinks he's going to hurt us on accident. You heard what he said this morning: He left to protect us from himself. He left because he loves us; not because he hates us."

Bree swallowed hard. Despite the shadowy darkness that surrounded them, Adam could still see unshed tears in Bree's eyes. "But what if you're wrong?" she asked quietly.

"What if I'm not?" Adam countered.

"If you're right," she started quietly, her voice thick, "and he's scared, then why didn't he come to _us?_ We would've helped him."

"We pushed him away," Adam answered. It wasn't normal for him to have so many answers. He kind of liked it; it was a nice feeling to help his sister understand something for once instead of the other way around. "We targeted him to the point where he didn't trust us enough to come to us when he was afraid. He still doesn't." Adam finally let go of her and sighed, sliding one hand down his face, exhausted. Neither he nor Bree had slept in over twenty-four hours. "We have to find him, Bree."

"But...but why would Chase choose Douglas over us?" Bree asked slowly.

"Did you _see_ Douglas when Chase was freaking out?" Adam asked. "He wasn't even scared; he walked right up to Chase and hugged him. Douglas actually made Chase _stop_. I mean, if Chase is scared of himself, then he needs someone who _isn't_ scared of him around, telling him that he _isn't_ a terrifying monster. Kind of a self-esteem building, confidence boosting thing, I guess."

"We pushed him away, didn't we?"

Bree had asked so softly that Adam barely heard the question. "There's nothing we can do about it now," he responded, avoiding the outright "yes" that was the answer. "We just have to hope that he'll listen to us."

After a long silence, Bree nodded. She wiped her eyes before any tears escaped. "Right," she admitted. "You're right." Then, she smiled slightly and chuckled. "Never thought I'd tell _you_ that."

Adam ignored the veiled insult. "It's easier when you don't over think things," he explained casually, his sentence ending with a large yawn.

"If we don't leave," Bree pointed out while biting back a yawn of her own, "Mr. Davenport will come drag us home himself."

Adam frowned and checked his phone. Seven minutes to ten. "Right," he agreed. But, before she could do anything else, Adam caught one of her shoulders again. "We're going to find him," he said gently. "And everything's going to be fine."

Bree nodded before grabbing his arm. "Come on," she said before taking off at top speed, transforming everything into a blur.

All the while, unbeknownst to Adam, their younger brother dozed under the watchful eye of his father not a block away from where Bree had vented her stress.

* * *

_"Lady, beautiful, of the sun: If you give to others...should it not also be given to me?"_

**Olivia Orr, "Mage Pride (unofficial translation)"**

* * *

_"...Recall the deeds as if they're all someone else's atrocious stories. Now you stand reborn before us all...And, not to pull you halo down around your neck and tug you to the ground, but I'm more than just a little curious how you're planning to go about making your amends..."_

**A Perfect Circle, "The Noose"**

* * *

**_Douglas_**

Chase had fallen asleep on his side with his knees pulled up to his chest to generate warmth. Oly was curled up against his chest like a kitten, her head resting right by Chase's throat. Douglas didn't blame them for huddling; the night breeze _was_ a bit chilling.

Douglas shivered and muttered a curse. The _one_ day he hadn't worn a jacket, and his house just _had_ to burn to the ground. He was better off than Chase - Douglas was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, at least - but it was less than ideal for sleeping under the stars.

Especially in an alley that seemed to double as a fucking wind tunnel.

Yahn shifted a bit on his shoulder, clicking his beak together once before shivering himself. "We can't stay here forever, Master," he reminded quietly.

"I know," Douglas sighed. "We need to find a more permanent shelter and crack down on Lovett again."

"And how would you do that?"

Douglas glanced sideways at the imp. "Let me guess: You have something to say?"

Yahn nodded. "If you would hear it."

"Yahn, we're in an alley," Douglas pointed out gently. "If anyone has an idea, I'm all for it."

"Go back to your brother."

Except for _that_ one.

"You saw how fast he kicked us out," Douglas shot down immediately. "He's not going to listen to us."

"Not 'us'," Yahn said, drawing air quotations. _"You."_

"_Me?!_ As in by myself? _That_ me?" He shook his head.

"You two obviously have bad blood," Yahn defended. "You can't work it out with those kids or us three around." He gestured towards Oly and Chase. "And, until _that's_ settled, you'll _certainly_ never be able to work together." Yahn jumped onto Douglas' lap and poked his chest. "Master, go beg not for mercy, but forgiveness."

Forgiveness? Now _that_ was a foreign concept when it came to Donnie. Their whole lives had been filled with petty grudge matches that would often last for days. Hell, the current one had lasted for _years_ and was _still_ going strong.

_Because he shouldn't have taken _my_ kids_, Douglas thought bitterly. He looked at Chase again, who shifted a bit in his sleep. Oly opened one eye, licked Chase's chin as she adjusted a bit, and closed it again with a sigh.

_Of course, I almost got them killed,_ Douglas relented, wincing. He _certainly_ had a hand in their currently dangerous situation. If he had just had the foresight to install the Triton App on Krane _before_ the shit hit the fan, then...

Well, then they would have a shitless fan, wouldn't they?

"I've done _a lot_ of things, Yahn," Douglas said quietly. "Not things that would be easily forgiven."

"Yet the half-breed forgave you?" Yahn pointed out.

Douglas pursed his lips in thought. The imp had a point. Douglas had literally almost killed Chase thrice over: Once through Marcus, once through Adam, and once through Krane. Yet Chase had still forgiven that somehow. And now the kid was sleeping on the cold ground in an alley to support him.

This was no way his son should have to live. If Chase could offer forgiveness, so could he, and, hopefully, Donald.

So, before he lost his nerve, Douglas stood up and dusted himself off. "Guard them," he ordered. "When the sun rises, bring everyone to Donnie's home."

Yahn nodded eagerly. "Yes, Master."

"Good." Douglas cracked his neck like he was about to get in a fist fight. "Because I'm not taking no for an answer this time."

* * *

**See? Filler.**

**Crappy, crappy filler.**

**But it's necessary to set up the next chapter.**

**Feel free to review. Or don't. :3 Whatever.**

**And don't forget your questions.**

**Enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	15. Chapter 15 - Brothers

**_Warning: The following extra-long rant consists of Zara's personal opinions and case points that she feels provide evidence. Feel free to disagree. Or skip it. Whatever works._**

**Rant mode: Engaged!**

**I recently saw "Bro Down" again, and surely I wasn't the only one disturbed when Chase said, "See that? Bruise free. I can finally wear short sleeves again!" I mean, god damn. And still Davenport did nothing. See? This is why Chase needs to join the dark side with both middle fingers in the air!**

**That still bothers me. A lot. Along with Adam wanting to kick Chase off the team in "Taken". Seriously, Adam? There's a difference between teasing and being an ass-basket. Learn it.**

**And then, Chase shoved Adam to the floor in "Jet Wing". We need more moments like that. Go, Chasey!**

**Also, everyone complains that Chase stealing Davenport's technology in "Scramble the Orbs" to make Cheddy was out of character.**

**No…not really. :/**

**_Allow me to present the following:_**

**"Smart and Smarter" and "Spy Fly", where we see how competitive he is. How much more cut-throat would he get if he ****_wasn't_**** competing against Adam?**

**"Spike's Got Talent", where he stole Leo's act for his own gain.**

**"Air Leo": Evil laugh. Need I say more? :D**

**"Bro Down", where we see him taking advantage of Adam's fear until he's told not to.**

**"Avalanche!", not because he "joined" Douglas, but because he's capable of acting/lying so convincingly; under no circumstance is a "double agent" good. They are always deceitful and can't be fully trusted. Even though we still love Chase. :3**

**"Memory Wipe", where the whole thing started out as _his_ idea.**

**"My Little Brother", in which Chase actually spent time thinking of ways to torture Adam when he was two inches tall.**

***Insert missed examples of Chase's less-than-honorable actions***

**Long story short: Chase is capable of underhanded, petty plots and misbehavior. Him stealing Cheddy was far from OOC. He was desperate to win and swung low to do it, just like in "Spike's Got Talent," when he was desperate to be noticed. So don't give me any of this "they're changing him too much" business. The only thing they've really changed to a noticeable degree is him standing up for himself a bit more often in a more proactive manner. (See both "Jet Wing" and "Zip It.")**

**Just because we love him enough to turn a blind eye to his motives doesn't mean he's just perfectly behaved or that his actions were never wrong. Cheddy just happened to be in our faces because Bree and Davenport tore into him for it. He's always had a dark streak that pops out on occasion.**

**I've been waiting for a while to say that. Finally got around to it.**

**Rant mode: Disengaged!**

**So, Chapter Fifteen! Here we are, people!**

**Thanks for your reviews and you less vocal readers out there. :3 You're the air I breathe. Kind of. Anyways, it's helped lead to this: A bit of back story!**

**Yay, back story!**

**But only a small bit of it. :D Because I like to drive you crazy. It's my weapon. It's my petty revenge against you sarcastic trolls. :D It's to bother all you obsessed people.**

**Because I'm evil like that. MUA HA HA HA HA HA!**

**Seriously: My guinea pig tried to eat my finger today. I'm so evil, I have a man-eating guinea pig. O_o Let that sink in….**

**AllAmericanSlurp:**** More irony: If you read back, you'll find that Team Chalas was never more than a mile from the Davenport residence. By the way, Chase is missing. You don't have him locked in your basement near your Demon Chase Fangirl Shrine, do you? O_o He might not be too pleased with that….And neither would Douglas, since Oly and Yahn were supposed to be watching him….**

**DisneyXDGirl:**** Take charge Adam must. Oldest is he.**

**Vampire Girl:**** Oly's still trying to decide how she feels about that proposal. The friends one, though? Sure. Oh, and Douglas, you have back up! "Wait, really? Yay!"**

**Moonlit:**** Me glad. :D**

**StealthySerpentineShadows:**** But, but…demons aren't sweet… D:**

**Sorry for the sucky chapter title. :(**

**And remember, I'm taking questions. Zara might be able to give you the answers to life. :D Or not. Who knows?**

**Mr. Davenport, set this thing on fire!**

**"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

_ "There is no such thing as a "broken family." Family is family, and is not determined by marriage certificates, divorce papers, and adoption documents. Families are made in the heart. The only time family becomes null is when those ties in the heart are cut. If you cut those ties, those people are not your family. If you make those ties, those people are your family. And if you hate those ties, those people will still be your family because whatever you hate will always be with you."_

**C. JoyBell C.**

* * *

_"It's a commonly expressed and rather nice, romantic notion that we are all "sisters" and "brothers." Let's be real. Fact is, we might be better served to accept that we are all siblings. Siblings fight, pull each other's hair, steal stuff, and accuse each other indiscriminately. But siblings also know the undeniable fact that they are the same blood, share the same origins, and are family. Even when they hate each other. And that tends to put all things in perspective."_

**Vera Nazarian****_, The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration_**

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen – Brothers  
**

**_Douglas_**

_This is crazy._

Or so Douglas kept repeating to himself until it was a mantra, ringing in his head constantly as he stood just outside the gate to the Davenport Mansion.

He had been staring at the lock for five minutes.

Usually, he had no qualms about breaking in. It hadn't ever bothered him before. However, this time was different. He wasn't plotting anything remotely villainous, going to save the lives of his kids or try to convince them that there was mischief afoot.

No; this time, he was going in to repair a family relationship that had been broken for _years._

Without backup, too.

He couldn't help but feel intimidated, like he was standing before an army of guards again.

The Guards Regiments, to be exact.

_What a mental image to get one's nerves in check, _he thought, smiling slightly. However uncomfortable the prospect of asking forgiveness was, Donnie would _never_ be on par with the danger of the Queen's Guard.

Ah, the memories. London was a _blast._

Douglas let out an involuntary chuckle that made him wince as his chest burned from his broken bone – the cause of his deportation from England was just the _stupidest_ thing, in his opinion – and realized that facing them seemed easier than facing his brother. Maybe because he _didn't_ _care_ what they thought of him – when it came to strangers, he never did - where as it _did _matter to him what Donald thought, oddly enough.

Douglas swallowed hard, pessimism running rampant through his thoughts. Donald would never listen. He was better off just turning around and trying to save everyone on his own.

_This is for Chase,_ he reminded himself forcefully, actually shaking his head. _And Adam and Bree. It's for everybody._

Because if everyone was worried about the Davenport sibling rivalry, then who would worry about Lovett and Krane? Yahn was right; like pulling a splinter from one's hand, it had to be done.

Setting his jaw, Douglas sighed – again, fucking _ow -_ and tapped the little screen by the gate. "Eddy," he said quietly. When no response came from the security system, Douglas rolled his eyes. "I know you can hear me, you pixellated piece of -"

Suddenly, the screen turned on, revealing the more-than-irritated Eddy. "We don't take visits from hobos."

Stung, he forced himself to ignore the crack at his less-than-perfect appearance – alleys didn't have mirrors, after all – and settled for rolling his eyes. "Just tell Donnie that I'm here. Alone."

"What's in it for me?" the emoticon sassed. "Why should I?"

Douglas poked the screen again. "Because I know how to disable you. _And_ I'll activate your cookies, so that when you get back online, you'll be trading so much data with the internet that your ones will look like zeroes to you!"

Eddy immediately popped off of the screen. For a moment, Douglas was worried that he had been left to break in on his own.

Again.

However, just when Douglas was about to break out his mad infiltration skills, the screen lit up again. Only this time, Donald was on it. "What is it now, Douglas?"

Douglas rested his hand on the pole above the screen and leaned in a bit, lowering his voice. "Listen: Chase is sleeping in an alley right now because we can't get along," he began, pointing between himself and the screen. "We need to talk before this escalates any further."

"You left Chase alone in an alley?!"

"No," Douglas protested indignantly. "Oly and Yahn are there."

Donald's face was turning red now, his eyes almost bugging out in anger and worry. "He could get mugged or gang-raped or kidnapped or _killed-_"

"Are you implying that he can't take care of himself?" Douglas asked, cutting his brother's hysteric ranting off. "He was alone for three months. He'll be fine for one night. Besides, Oly and Yahn can be pretty protective when they want to be. Especially _Ajiiyahn_. Remember him?"

Donald sighed heavily. "You know that I never believed those stories, right?"

Douglas smiled slightly. "Yet just this morning, Ajiiyahn was perched on Adam's shoulder."

"Yahn is Ajiiyahn?" Donald asked quietly. "The same Ajiiyahn Dad used to tell us about?" When Douglas nodded, Donald sighed again. "If you try anything, I'm getting Eddy to burn a hole in you with a laser," Donald warned before the screen went dark. Seconds later, the lock buzzed and the gate swung open.

Not fond of the idea of having any part of himself singed off by a snarky computer – his physique was perfect already, thank you – he cautiously walked up the drive, jumping a bit at every sound just in case Donald decided to take him out anyways. Needless to say, the trip to the front door was nerve-wracking to the point where Douglas almost made a diving leap for the front door when he was close enough. Instead, he forced an appearance of composure and gently knocked.

It was just before midnight, after all. Everyone would be sleeping.

Donald opened the door immediately, his expression strained and suspicious as he gestured for Douglas to enter. Stepping inside, Douglas walked to the couch before stopping and facing his elder brother, who closed and locked the door before doing anything else. A tense second of silence passed before Donald sighed. "So…Ajiiyahn was real, then? This whole time?"

"This _whole_ time," Douglas answered, chuckling a bit.

Donnie nodded slowly. "At least we know Dad wasn't crazy."

Douglas shrugged and crossed his arms. "Ye of little faith," he teased.

Donald rolled his eyes. "Fine: I was wrong." He gestured at Douglas. "You had something to say?"

"Yes," Douglas said. Then, he found himself choking on the words. It wasn't something he was used to saying; he usually never said it. Usually never _had_ to say it. And he definitely didn't expect to ever say it to his brother. His mouth opened and closed a few times. This would be harder than he thought.

After a moment, Donald leaned against the wall, crossing his arms as well. In his pajamas – light blue with teddy bears all over – he looked ridiculous; at least, he did in Douglas' opinion. He couldn't at least throw on a _shirt_ for his little brother? "Did you come here just to stand around? Or to get Chase off the streets? Because I don't want him out there any longer than he has to be."

"Me neither," Douglas found himself agreeing.

"But he ran away to you," Donald continued, pointing at Douglas in an accusing manner. "He didn't want to be here. He wanted to be where you are."

Douglas held his hands up innocently. "He's worried that you guys don't want him around after what he did this morning."

At this, Donald frowned. "Why would he think that?"

"Probably because you locked him in a room like he was a prisoner," Douglas replied sardonically, unable to help himself. "But that's just a guess, really."

"So maybe we didn't handle that well," Donald admitted. "But with the whole demon situation – "

"What about it?" Douglas asked, the corner of his mouth twitching. "It's not like Chase isn't Chase anymore."

"Then what did Ajiiyahn call him?" Donald frowned. "It was some strange name, like Vânăto or something like that. Something demonic."

Douglas, however, smiled. "Îngrijirea Vânătoare. That's Chase's real name. If you ever get into summoning, that'll come in handy."

"Wait, his name is _Romanian?_" Donald's eyes widened. "I thought that it was just some demonic gibberish, like 'Ajiiyahn.'"

"Yes," Douglas confirmed. "Chase's name means something."

Donald was quiet for a long time before he finally sighed. "Îngrijirea Vânătoare. No wonder he went ballistic after what Bree and Leo said." He chuckled dryly. "He pours his soul out and is told to leave. Poor Chase."

"Instead of throwing a pity party for the kid," Douglas suggested, "let's actually figure out some way to work together so that he can have an actual roof over his head, shall we?"

Donald nodded. "Of course, everyone will let Chase come back, but without you, I don't know if he will." He paused and narrowed his eyes. "You haven't been teaching him how to be a criminal, have you?"

"No," Douglas protested. After a second he added, "Chase figured some things out on his own."

"For christ's sake," Donald groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose and looking down. "Just what we need: A juvenile delinquent."

"He's not a delinquent," Douglas corrected. "He's an opportunistic survivor."

Donald deadpanned at him. "Is that a fancy way of saying 'criminal in training?'"

Douglas frowned. "It's a fancy way of saying that he did what he had to because he had no choice, Don." Douglas swallowed a bit before adding, "Like me."

"Wait, what was that?" Donald asked, leaning forward a bit.

_Now or never,_ Douglas thought. "Everything I did to you guys….I thought it was necessary at the time," he explained sheepishly. "I just wanted to see my kids. Wanted them to love _me_, too. And I did a lot of short-sighted things in an attempt to get that. I shouldn't have. And….I'm sorry."

Those last two words tumbled out of his mouth, stinging more than his rib cage. He was Douglas, for god's sake! Apologizing shouldn't be on the table at all! But here he was, admitting that he fucked up. However, as Donald opened his mouth to say something, Douglas continued anyways. "And using the kids as experiments – giving them bionics – probably wasn't the smartest things I could've done. Because you were _right._ I _wasn't_ ready to be a father then. But I am now. And, right now, Krane and Lovett and planning something to kill my – " he hesitated before correcting himself – "_our_ kids. And if we don't work with each other, then he'll just pick everyone off, one-by-one, until there's no one left. Please: If you can't forgive me, I understand. But can we at least get along?" When Donald hesitated, Douglas quickly added, "If it helps, Ajiiyahn put me up to this."

Donald smiled slightly at that. "Dad always said that Ajiiyahn hated to see us fight."

"Apparently, he still does," Douglas agreed, recalling fondly a few stories their dad had told them about their "special guard" Ajiiyahn, who would sit at their bedside at night and quietly mourn when the two brothers were at odds. Those stories of their dad – the late Charles Davenport – speaking of demons as if they were extremely real allies rather than evil creatures of legend was the reason the two had tried to study demons in college and why Douglas had pursued it to the point of learning to summon.

Because how cool would it be to speak to those demons themselves? To prove their father right when everyone else said he was wrong? Though Charles had never summoned a demon himself – it took Douglas a long time to learn that his father was a Charmer rather than a summoner – he had spent most of their childhood telling them about interesting demonic beings he had spoken with.

Douglas shook himself free of the memories. Now was not the time.

"Stay here. Both you and Chase," Donald finally said. "But if you try anything, I swear –"

"I'll behave," Douglas reassured immediately. "I promise. I can't do anything here that Eddy wouldn't see."

Donald nodded. "And this is _only_ because I don't want Chase out there – "

"I know," Douglas acknowledged.

"And don't summon anything else here," Donald said firmly. "I don't need the kids running around trying to call up demons."

"I won't," Douglas agreed.

Donald nodded again before sighing and changing the subject. "That house fire? Did you both get out unscathed?"

"Yes," Douglas lied, trying to ignore his throbbing chest. He'd be fine.

"You're not lying, are you, Dougie?" Donald asked firmly.

"Nope," Douglas said, popping the 'p'. He'd never liked Donald to know when he was hurting. It made him feel horrible inside, like he couldn't exist without his "oh-so-great" older brother protecting him. It had been that way since they were kids. "We're good."

After a long staring match, Donald finally relented. "Then go get Chase. I'll get Eddy to get a couple of rooms ready. Does Chase need his capsule?"

Douglas shook his head, frowning now. "For some reason, he's been doing just fine without it."

Donald frowned, too. "Seriously? Who does he think he is? I built that capsule to be just _perfect_, and he goes and outgrows it!"

"Right?" Douglas agreed. "I had one made for him, too, but he never used it! Stubborn little punk, always doing his own thing."

Donald snorted, finally pushing away from the wall with his shoulder. "Anyways, like I said: Go get Chase. For now, you're living here. And don't wake anybody up." He grimaced. "Adam's a _bear_ when he doesn't get enough sleep."

"Thank you, Donnie" Douglas said quietly, smiling. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't relieved that Donald had actually let him stay.

Even if it was just for Chase's sake.

Donald waved it off before he shuffled to the stairs, climbing them slowly to go back to sleep himself.

Deciding to quit while he was ahead, Douglas took this as a dismissal and let himself out of the house. Upon closing the door, he punched the air in celebration (he _really _needed to stop moving so drastically; his ribs were protesting _loudly)_. "I'm the best negotiator _ever!"_ he whisper-cheered with excitement. Not only had he gotten Chase a place to stay, but he'd swung one for himself, too. Besides, with this unknown threat looming on the horizon, there was strength in numbers.

Especially when bionic people and demons were among the ranks.

As Douglas set off down the driveway, the stars adorning the night sky seemed to shine brighter, decorating the dark space around the moon that appeared to be radiating a celestial light of approval from above.

* * *

**Yick; that ending. I don't like it.**

**Before we go further, there is a poll up on my profile! It'll be open only today. So don't forget to vote if you want to! Remember, though: You must have an account to vote. :3 So don't forget to check that out! It's more of a highly irrelevant fun Hybrid fact, but why not?**

**Anyways, feel the half-assed, almost-brotherly, highly tense love, people!**

**I said ****_feel it._**

**Their stressed relationship seems to be on the long road to recovery for now. **

**Yay. :3**

**Oh, yeah: Did I forget to mention that little detail about Yahn?**

**That's right: He's been there for ****_many, many years._**

**By the way, I'm sure someone's going to start flooding the reviews with translations of Chase's Romanian name.  
**

**If you feel like looking it up, I know it's a little lame. But I thought it fit because "Chase" means "Hunter". If you don't feel like looking it up, then just enjoy the Romanian goodness.  
**

**Anyways, that was Chapter Fifteen. :3**

**No big deal, really.**

**Feel free to review. Or don't. :D Do whatever the hell you want.**

**And, as always, enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	16. Chapter 16 - Coming Home

**Chapter Sixteen! Woot!**

**Still feeling the demon love, guys. :3**

**All right, so everyone knows now that Douglas was deported from England, right? Well, the results are in: Ya'll wanna know why! :D**

**So, Douglas: Tell the people.**

**"Apparently, calling the queen a 'bloody wanker' to her face in a bad British accent and waving a machete around while totally drunk off your ass is frowned upon. The fake passport and small explosive on my person when I was arrested didn't help much, either. Is that not just the ****_stupidest_**** reason?!"**

**Don't drink and play with swords, kids. Especially with Douglas around. O_o**

**In fact, no one imitate this guy. Ever. **

**He's a ****_bad_**** role model.**

**"Hey, I was twenty-three years old at the time and had a lapse in judgment! And I don't drink anymore….Well, not ****_that_**** much…."**

**Details.**

**The question was raised by AllAmericanSlurp about how to pronounce Demon Chase's full name. Well, I listened a bunch of times on Google Translate and ****_think_**** I have it for you guys.**

**Îngrijirea Vânătoare**

**In-gree-jira (soft j as in "bonjour) Vee-nah-twa-ray**

**Don't learn Romanian from me. :(**

**Anyways, special thanks to DisneyXDGirl, who, through attempting to predict plot twists, actually inspired this chapter's events. :3**

**Thanks to all my lovely reviewers and silent readers as well as my voters. You guys rock. :)**

**KickandBelli****: There you went! :D Unfortunately, I regret to inform you that only we who are in the Illuminati and are working to bring about the New World Order can understand the complex messages encoded within these words. I see that you've yet to solve Cicada 3031, and do not possess the necessary encryption keys to comprehend this literary work as of yet. Sorry you didn't make the team, my little sheeple. :( But I ****_do_**** have something to cheer you up until you come out with your own story.**

**_"When you leave, my colors fade to gray!_**

**_Numa numa iei, numa numa iei!_**

**_Every word of love I used to say!_**

**_Now I paint it every day!_**

**_When you leave, my colors fade to gray!_**

**_Here my love will stay, but all my colors fade away!_**

**_Every word of love I used to say!_**

**_Now I paint it every day!"_**

**Basshunter, "When You Leave (Numa Numa)"**

**Hope that helped. :3 Thanks for visiting casa del Hybrid! Enjoy your stay. :D**

**gg180000:**** C. It's C...Wait, is that right? O_o Crap! *Circles all four just in case.***

**AllAmericanSlurp:**** I don't think they could be mushy if they wanted. Hugs would devolve into headlocks and cage matches. :3**

**StealthySerpentineShadows:**** We've barely scratched the surface. Although there ****_are_**** rumors that Oly may or may not have had something to do with the Dyatlov Pass incident...By the way, if you haven't heard of that before, look it up. It's the most interesting thing. :D**

**Moonlit:**** He's a likeable guy. :3**

**DisneyXDGirl:**** ...Well, Chase ****_was_**** going to be there, but you inspired something else. Thanks you. :3**

**Vampire Girl:**** Hells yes to ****_all_**** nine.**

**Anyways, who wants to find out what's going on in Hybrid land? Oly?**

**"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

_"...Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday. I know my kingdom awaits, and they've forgiven my mistakes. I'm coming home..."_

**J. Cole, "I'm Coming Home"**

* * *

_"I meant to behave, but there were too many other options."_

**Unknown**

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen – Coming Home**

**_Chase_**

You know what sucks about sleeping in an alley?

The police tend to pick you up.

Because what homeless kid could be innocently sleeping in an alley, am I right? The little bastard must have run away from home. So let's treat him like a criminal!

And that's what I woke up to: Oly and Yahn rapidly turning into flies to avoid detection and no Douglas to be found. Just a bright flashlight and someone loudly asking if I was all right from the alley's entrance.

_ Snap their necks! How _dare_ they wake you?_

Luckily, I had been accosted in this manner a few times before and had the reflexive foresight to shift and appear fully human before they saw my demonic goodness. It was easy enough: Just hide the odd features and you're good to go! Yep: One human-looking Chase Davenport, at your service, officers.

Two men approached cautiously, like they were afraid I'd bolt if they moved too fast. Shielding my eyes against the painfully bright light with my hand, I sat up as one crouched down beside me, his name badge reading "Johnson." How delightfully generic. "You all right?" He caught my chin and made a point to shine his light in my eyes, one at a time in a field sobriety test before he pointed at my ear. "What happened?"

Yes, my right ear - though human now - was still fucked up. Thanks, Oly.

I swear that I heard her snickering a bit as she and Yahn buzzed around my head.

_You should swat her like the fly she is._

"I'm fine, sir," I mumbled drowsily, rubbing my eyes a bit to help wake myself up. I didn't say anything else, though. One had to be careful in these situations.

Officer Johnson held out his hand, acting like he was my friend rather than the guy who was going to drag me to the station. "Come on; you can't stay here, kid."

I was _well_ aware, sir.

Quick lesson: When it comes to the police, it's better to just cooperate.

So that's why - even though I didn't want to - I took his hand and allowed him to pull me to my feet. It was why I followed them both to their patrol car. I was glad that the attention - grabbing lights weren't spinning on top. Of course, I didn't appreciate being helped into the inescapable back seat of the car, but what could you do? As the two got in the front seat, Yahn started buzzing in my ear. "Master is with his brother. If you get to make a call, call him."

I nodded slightly but didn't acknowledge him otherwise. What the hell was Douglas doing at Mr. Davenport's house while I was chilling in an alley, freezing my wings off?!

Whatever the reason, it didn't really matter now.

"What's your name?"

The second officer was looking back at me now, smiling like we were old friends as Johnson started to drive. The corner of my mouth twitched. "Chase." If Mr. Davenport was the one I had to call, then he wouldn't recognize anyone but me.

Actually, maybe I could make this easier on all of us.

"I kind of got lost on the way home," I started. "I got off on the wrong bus stop, you see."

The officer looking at me nodded. "What's your address? We'll drop you off."

Fucking _score! _How great was I? I got a free ride to Mr. Davenport's house!

I quickly listed off the address, and he turned around, telling Johnson where to go.

"Nice thinking, Half-Breed," Oly buzzed quietly.

"No kidding," Yahn agreed. "Now hopefully, Master figures out where you are."

I bit back a question about why Douglas didn't bother to wake me up when he went to talk to Davenport. It wouldn't help my case if I started supposedly talking to myself around these officers. They would think I was high for sure. So I just settled in until, two minutes later, they pulled up to the gate. "This it?" Johnson asked, meeting my eyes in the rear view mirror. When I nodded, he put the car in park while his partner got out and opened my door.

Because you couldn't open the back seat doors of police cars from the inside. The perp' would just walk out.

As the street light overhead illuminated the car a bit more, I noticed a slight glimmer in the seat beside me. Without thinking, I picked it up and dropped it in my pocket before I climbed out and stretched a bit, smiling at the officer. "Thanks, Officer…." I paused.

"Copeland," he supplied, offering his hand.

"Officer Copeland," I finished, shaking his hand.

Of course, they weren't just going to leave that easily. No, they had to make sure that I was inside, first. So, I tapped on the little screen by the gate three times rapidly. Once a keypad popped up, I punched in the code, and the gate opened. And so, with the eyes of two police officers boring into me, I jogged up the drive.

I didn't like people watching me closely. I was a bionic demon thing, after all. So I was aiming to get out of there fast. They were still at the end of the driveway when I reached the door – which I almost took down, I was knocking on it so hard – when a very drowsy, blood-shot-eyed Adam opened the door. He stared at me for a second – I waved like an idiot – and glanced at the police car before he pulled me in by one arm and basically slammed the door behind me. I noted the starting screen of the video game on the TV – Mental Chaos, the choice of Adams who couldn't sleep everywhere – before anything else.

At least I hadn't woken him up, if only by a few minutes.

_Why are you letting him man-handle you!?_

_ Because shut the fuck up,_ I answered irritably.

With the door closed – some scratching started on the other side - Adam immediately turned to me and grabbed both shoulders. "Chasey, don't you _ever_ think that we don't want you around," he said immediately. "Demon or not, you're still my little brother."

Kind of a random outburst, but it left me speechless all the same.

Have I ever mentioned how mesmerizing his voice was? Like a freaking chorus of angels was singing just for me. I wanted to listen to him _forever._

"Also, why were the cops here?" he went on.

"The _cops_ were here?"

We both looked up to see Leo halfway up the stairs in his night gown, obviously having been woken up by Adam's lovely door-closing skills. He pointed at me. "What did you do?"

"Ripped the tag off a mattress because I'm hardcore," I replied with a shrug.

Leo descended into the living room, smiling from my half-assed joke . It was late; they weren't _all_ going to be gems. However, he just walked up to me – seriously, _no fear –_ and pulled me into a hug. "You're going to stay this time, right?" he asked quietly.

I was frozen now. Hello? I had basically destroyed the Lab this morning – kind of. You shouldn't be hugging me. You should be _scared._ At least pissed off. But definitely not hugging me. What was this madness?!

"I think so," I responded, hugging him back finally. I mean, _hopefully_ that's what Douglas was trying to accomplish here.

_Crush him while you have the opportunity!_

_ You still don't like him, do you? _I asked.

_ Never will._

Beside us, Adam suddenly cried, "Yahn!"

Leo and I pulled back to see what he was doing. Sure enough, both Yahn and Oly were sitting near the door now as gargoyles. "Way to lock us out, dipshits," Oly grumbled.

Yahn, however, was too busy being picked up by Adam and climbing onto his shoulder with a massive grin. "I didn't think I'd see you again," Adam cooed happily.

While this was happening, I took the time to revert to my normal appearance – wings, ears, eyes, tail, teeth; you get it – and look around. "Is Douglas still here?" I asked.

"Douglas was here?" Adam frowned. "I haven't seen him."

"Me neither," Leo added.

"Maybe he left?" Yahn suggested. "I was supposed to bring you here in the morning, but Douglas might have gone to get us sooner."

"So he's probably on his way _back_ to the alley," I mused.

"If you want, I could go get him," Yahn offered eagerly.

However, I grinned mischievously, my sharp teeth exposed. "How about we let him get there and wonder where we went, since he left us alone?"

"I second this idea!" Oly declared, holding her hand up. Anything to mess with her master, I supposed.

"I move to let Douglas figure out Chase's location on his own to get revenge for leaving Chase alone in the first place," Leo declared formally, as it this was a meeting of the minds. "All in favor?"

"Aye!" Oly and I instantly responded.

"Nay!" Yahn said, crossing his arms.

"There's a horse!?" Adam asked, his eyes lighting up eagerly.

"Motion passes," Leo confirmed, bringing his fist down on his open palm like he was banging a gavel.

_At least it's _something_ fun,_ my voice added.

I agreed. He'd probably think that I was taken – and possibly killed – by Krane.

See if he ever leaves me alone again.

Wait, was that mean?

Nah. He'll be fine.

* * *

_"Anxiety Girl: Able to jump to the worst conclusion in a single bound!"_

**Unknown**

* * *

_"If assholes could fly, this place would be an airport."_

**Unknown**

* * *

**_Douglas_**

_They're gone!_

_ They're gone, they're gone, they're gone –_

_ Stop! _ He told himself forcefully. Panicking wouldn't help.

Then where were Chase, Oly, and Yahn?

He left them _right here._

Yahn was supposed to be _guarding!_

"Chasey?" Douglas called out. Maybe the kid was hiding? He could be a sneaky bugger when he wanted to be. When no response came, he ground his teeth. "Oly, Yahn: Come here."

No one came to him, despite his orders.

So they were really gone.

Douglas immediately thought of Jasper. Wait…no, it couldn't be him. There wasn't any blood or signs of a fight. So Krane popped up in his mind. The guy could _geo leap._ What was to stop him from showing up, grabbing them and leaping away?

Douglas had to swallow down more panic. He needed to find them. _Now_.

Spinning on his heel in a brief bout of agility – seriously, he hadn't been able to do that in a couple of years – he took off at a run towards Donald's house again. Maybe he could summon them and get them out of there. Surely Donnie would make an exception to the "no summoning" rule for such a situation? It was kind of desperate.

Running past cars, street lights, random buildings and houses as he passed into the residential areas, he actually growled. _This is taking too long!_ Running a mile only took a few minutes – maybe fifteen, at the most – but it was bad when every second counted. With mounting frustration and fear, he actually cried out in relief when the titanium gates he'd left behind not thirty minutes before came into view. Luckily for him, the gate was actually still opened – _thank you, Donnie! – _and allowed him the express pleasure of bolting up the driveway like a mad man. Not even bothering to knock, he just threw the door open.

And froze in shock at what he saw.

Leo and Adam were playing some kind of video game, not even acknowledging Douglas' entrance other than to mumble greetings. Yahn was on Adam's shoulder, asking questions about the game that both were explaining. Oly was lying flat on her back on the back of the couch, tongue hanging out of her slightly-open beak as she snored a bit, obviously sleeping while Chase was frowning in a mirror, poking his ripped ear as he finally saw it for the first time.

They were here.

They were _safe._

"What the hell?" He found himself asking, suddenly aware of how hard he was breathing, how badly he was shaking, how much his ribs were throbbing as the adrenaline that had deadened the pain in his chest and had given him a burst of energy drained away.

Chase didn't look at him. "Police found me," he answered casually, as if it was no big deal that he had just fucking _vanished._ "Got them to bring me here."

"I….I thought…." Douglas stammered a bit.

"You're letting the flies in," Leo protested absently.

Suddenly realizing that the door was still opened, Douglas sighed and closed it. When he turned around to face them again, he actually jumped a bit. Chase had suddenly appeared by his side, his ears pinned. "Any reason why you left me out there?" he asked.

Douglas opened and closed his mouth noiselessly a few times, no doubt looking like a fish. Where he had been able to defend the action to Donald earlier, he was drawing a blank now.

Chase saved him from needing to find a justification, though. "Don't do that shit. I don't _want_ to be on my own again."

After a second – after it sunk in that Chase, Oly and Yahn had actually pulled a cruel, cruel prank on him; something he himself would have done in the same situation – Douglas let out a bubbly, breathy laugh of relief and pulled Chase into a tight hug. "Fucking smart - assed asshole," he muttered, making sure to flick Chase's ear.

As Chase let out a loud hiss of protest, Douglas just grinned.

* * *

**Chase can be so mean sometimes. :D**

**Anyways, that was Chapter Sixteen!**

**And everybody's home now! Yippee!**

**Again, special thanks to DisneyXDGirl for inspiring Chase's inner Douglas to act. :3 It was fun to write.**

**See, people? Don't be afraid to suggest things. They might happen! :D**

**Feel free to review. Or don't. :P Do whatever you feel like.**

**And remember: Don't whine at other reviewers, no matter what they say (yes, I mean everybody vs. KAB, who isn't bothering me at all). That becomes tedious to read.**

**Oh. My. God. I just realized something! KickandBelli is an snarky as Oly and Eddy! They teamed up! :O The Hybrid universe is real! Everyone take cover! (You'll never be able to un-see KAB as either Oly or Eddy again. :D You're welcome.)**

**And enjoy. **

***Bows and exits***


	17. Chapter 17 - Con Artist

**Now presenting the most sophisticated woman alive: Ra'Zara.**

**_Fuck yeah!_ 100 Reviews! *Confetti, fireworks, streamers, noisemakers; all that shit***

**_I'm so fucking happy!_ Chase! Get in here and say something to your fans!**

**"_Help us!_ She's _crazy!_ She keeps us locked in cages and drags us to her boring job to write on her breaks! Worse: _She only has one book in her car_. I've read _Marlfox_ 51 times!"**

**Lying little...this punk's dressing room is bigger than _my house_.**

**"It's definitely bigger than _my_ dressing room."**

**"_Mine, too_."**

**Donald, Douglas: Shut the fuck up. No one asked you.**

**"And _when_ are we getting those cupcakes you promised last week?!"**

**Adam -**

**"And I remember you saying something about us going to Europe."**

**"I've always wanted to go to Paris!"**

**Leo, Miss Tasha: You're _not_ going to Paris on _my_ meager funding!**

**"Why does _Bree_ have shiny things when _I_ don't?!"**

**Damn it, Oly, just go steal them!**

**"Stay away from my things, imp!"**

**"I'll help you keep her away, if Master lets me."**

***Repeatedly slams her head into the desk.* Damn it, Chase! You riled them up!**

**"Mua ha ha ha ha!"**

**Well, I have to go shoot everyone with a tranquilizer gun.**

**"What?! Everyone, scatter!"**

**Crap.**

**Well, while I hunt them down: Thanks for all your reviews. :D I'm feeling the e-love! Hybrid wouldn't be here without ya'll! I'd just get bored and leave it to write something else gnawing at me. I have the attention span of a squirrel sometimes. :3**

**gg18000: Let's explore that. *Writes chapter seventeen* ...You might be on to something there...*Starts building an anti-Adam bunker***

**AllAmericanSlurp: Normal parents: "Stop or you're grounded!"**

**Douglas: "Quit your shit or I'll pet your ears!"**

**DisneyXDGirl: :3 Eddy amuses me.**

**StealthySerpentineShadows: Isn't KAB entertaining? :D**

**Beverlie4055: A) Thank you. B) You're exactly review #100! Yay! (::) There's a cookie. :3**

**Vampire Girl: Dear God! Did her Majesty step on your kitten or something?!**

**Okay, caught everyone now. Anyways, with the reaching of 100 reviews, I decided to do something fun!**

**So stay tuned after the chapter for details! 'Make sure you read the bottom before you review!'**

**Sadly, this chapter is mostly filler. :(. But it's here.**

**Meanwhile, you're the only one not sleeping at the moment, Evil Voice. Would you do the honors?**

**"_Zara does not own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."_  
**

* * *

**_No quotes today. This is written on my iPod, and finding them is complicated enough without fighting Siri and Safari. Sorry._**

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen - Con Artist**

_**Leo**_

"Oh, what about this?" Adam began. Everyone either rolled their eyes or groaned, including Leo. Well, almost everyone. Oly, Yahn and Chase were all ears, staring at Adam eagerly like he was about to reveal the secrets of the universe to them. "Hear me out," he protested, glaring at everyone. "What if we put a sign on the gate for an evil meeting? This Lovett guy will show up, and we can grab him. _Especially_ if we offer free snacks." Adam held his arms wide, grinning like he had just saved the day.

Douglas looked ready to smack his eldest son to see if it would knock common sense into him. Leo literally dropped his head to the table with a sigh. Bree and Tasha just stared at him, pitying expressions on their faces. Mr. Davenport was pinching the bridge of his nose. Chase, however...

"That's an _awesome_ idea!"

Yahn, who was sitting in Adam's lap, nodded vigorously while Oly started jumping up and down excitedly on the table. "It's _perfect! _It's so simple that it _has_ to work!" she declared.

"Guys, he wants to post a sign advertising an evil meeting and hope Lovett comes," Bree sighed, shooting them a look.

Chase blinked several times before wrinkling his nose. "Wait, that's _not_ a good idea."

"Seriously, why would you _do_ that, you idiot?" Oly sniffed, crossing her arms.

"Adam, he won't come," Yahn said more gently, patting Adam's hand. "He doesn't like meetings."

Adam furrowed his brow and was quiet for a second before he slowly nodded. "Makes sense."

Leo resisted the urge to roll his eyes as the demonic trio nodded with Adam. The more time Chase, Oly and Yahn spent around him, the more entranced they became, as if they were slowly growing drunk, one can of beer at a time. In fact, where Chase and Oly had disagreed with Adam when the family conference kicked off that morning, they and Yahn had now approved a total of _four_ ideas Adam had put forth, the most intelligent of which was the most recent. Leo could tell that the whole "Charmer" thing that Douglas explained the day before was going to get out of hand at some point.

Because it was Adam, and even if he was a half-watt short of a candle, he was good at turning things to his advantage if he had the free time to think of how to do so.

"You know, if these three are agreeing with _Adam,_" Douglas pointed out, "then it's probably time to take a break until they clear their heads."

"At least we agree on _something_ today," Mr. Davenport mumbled. The two had been poking holes in each other's ideas on where and when Lovett's and Krane's plan was going down and what could possibly be done about it - often with entertaining reasoning such as "that would get us _at least_ three misdemeanors and a felony charge" or "might as well invite them over for a tea party and _politely_ ask them to surrender" - all morning. And while they seemed to be getting along over the past two days, there was no shortage of tension in the air when it came to Douglas being allowed to stay in the house rather than outside on a leash, where Leo thought the man belonged.

Douglas might be on their side now, but would that change?

At the moment, no one bothered to bring that up. It seemed like a small detail floating in the wake of Krane's plotting. But Leo was sure as hell thinking it. Just because Chase trusted the guy didn't mean _he_ did.

By her edgy demeanor all morning - she'd gotten the express privelage of sitting beside Douglas - Bree agreed.

Tasha frowned. "What do you mean, 'clear their heads'? They still seem reasonably fine."

Leo had agreed with his mother when he saw this the first time yesterday, as she was now; she'd had to do a "hard-hitting report" on the dangers of undercooked meat the day before. Although agreeing with Adam, all three had seemed to be perfectly coherent.

But they weren't. Not completely.

Douglas sighed. "Hey, Chase? Can you do me a favor?" Chase looked at him, his cat ears perked up. "Can you recite the alphabet backwards?"

Chase grinned. Leo had found out on the first day he ever met Chase that the genius could say the English alphabet backwards without stopping. He was _very_ proud of that little trick, even if a lot of others could do it. Adam and Bree _couldn't_, making the feat unique to him in comparison. "'Z'..."

As he trailed off, Chase frowned and laid his ears back.

"Wait, wait: 'Z'...then...Then 'y'..." Trying to concentrate, Chase furrowed his brow and sat back in his chair. After a few long seconds, slight mortification crossed his face. "Yeah; it's time for a break," he declared, standing up and walking away from the table.

Not wanting to be left behind, Oly jumped down to the floor and ran after him. "Don't leave me with this silver-tongued bastard, damn it!" Tasha snapped out a warning about the language, but Chase and Oly were out the front door before she finished.

Bree frowned. "Where are they going _this_ time?"

Douglas shrugged. "Who cares? They'll be back."

Leo resisted the urge to remind Douglas that he had panicked when Chase was "missing" the night before last. Of course, Eddy hadn't been out in the alleyway.

Then again, Douglas had run about a mile injured to "save" Chase, too, so Leo grudgingly cut the guy a _little_ slack. Like, barely any. No one knew what said injury was, anyways, because no matter how many times Davenport asked - and no matter how obvious it was that he was in severe pain sometimes - Douglas always denied that something was wrong. Some sort of pride thing. For all they knew, he could be overexaggarating a paper cut.

"They better hurry," Adam muttered, appearing malcontent at the loss of his backers while rubbing Yahn's ears.

"I'll be happy if we just avoid a repeat of yesterday," Davenport sighed. Leo found his eyes drawn to the deformed spoon - shaped scorch mark that was now a permanent stain on the kitchen counter. Chase had demonstrated that he could create fire by melting a spoon, and Leo had lost five dollars.

Tasha didn't think it was a nice trick, but _Leo_ sure did.

The door flew open. Chase bolted into the room - dragging a confused Oly by her arm - and slammed it shut, releasing her. His eyes panicked, Chase leaned against the door, his ears pinned and tail lashing, his arms thrown wide as if to hold back a flood. Oly started poking his leg. "What the hell, Half-Breed?"

"What's wrong?!" Davenport asked instantly while everyone stared.

Chase gave a one - word answer: "_Perry_."

* * *

**_Chase_**

Sometimes, you just know your day's going to suck.

Usually - for me, anyways - it involved the arrival of Wicked Witch of the West's more badass aunt: Principle Terry Perry.

I mean, there I was with Oly, sitting on the doorstep and reciting the alphabet backwards multiple times until I wasn't hesitating or forgetting letters anymore - By the way, Adam was a _serious_ head trip; I found out that he was like catnip for demons - and freaking _Perry_ had to go and ruin it!

Upon seeing her in a new red convertible at the gate, I decided to be the warning bell. If we hurried, maybe we could take cover! I seriously expected us to go down to the Lab and wait it out for a few days, just in case she brought a tent again.

But Oly, Douglas, and Yahn slowed our evacuation with questions.

"What's a 'Perry'?" Douglas asked, frowning.

"I'd like to know why it warranted me being dragged inside," Oly added.

"School principle," I explained. Good god, I did _not_ want to see her. I pointed at Yahn and Oly even as I was making my appearance human. "You have to hide."

Mr. Davenport sighed and pulled out his checkbook, muttering about exploitation while Oly and Yahn changed forms themselves. Oly turned into a white cockiteil and flew to land on Douglas' shoulder while Yahn vanished into some kind of small insect, no doubt. A gnat or a fly, I was guessing. "So _why_ are you scared of this woman? And why are you writing a check?" Douglas went on, still confused.

"She knows about our bionics," Bree explained. "We had to save her life." She rolled her eyes. "Stupid electric wires."

"And now," Tasha continued, "she's exploiting it for money."

"Smart lady," Douglas responded.

I almost got out a smart-assed response to that, but the door flew open, effectively throwing me to the side like a ragdoll. Rude much? I caught myself before I fell over and suddenly found papers shoved nonchalantly against my chest without her once looking at me.

Douglas did _not_ look happy about that.

"I went through your mail, Don," Perry declared, her raspy voice grating against my eardrums. "Nothing entertaining."

Tuning out the no-doubt incredulous reaction of Davenport and Tasha, I looked down at the papers in my hands. Sure enough, they were torn envelopes and unfolded letters. It was mainly junk or business, but one _did_ stand out to me.

A letter printed on parchament, a lovely gold border around the edges.

An obvious invitation, if I ever saw one. It was asking Tasha to do a report on the opening of some new government building - sounded dull - but the part that stood out was the part that _shouldn't have been there. Especially _in that kind of letter.

_We wish to get families more involved in politics, so we encourage you to bring yours._

Red flag! Red flag! _Major_ red flag! Families were rarely invited as a whole to a reporting thing-a-ma-jig.

I had to bite back an exclamation of discovery. We might have gained a new lead!

I was snapped from my semi-hopeful thoughts by the sight of Perry poking Douglas in the chest. Poor guy; he just couldn't catch a break with his ribs.

No pun intended.

"Who are you?" Perry asked. "The family pedophile?"

Don't pick that fight, Perry; he's _already_ pissed at you...

"I'm that one uncle no one likes to talk about," Douglas answered calmly. "I'd just _love_ to waste my third strike on you."

Don't respond, don't respond -

"You're only on your third strike?"

I tried to save her. You all saw me! Time to sit back and enjoy it!

"I'm on my _fourth_," Perry gloated, grinning.

Douglas gave a wicked smile. "What did you have to bribe the judge with to get out _that_ time?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, causing a few faces to redden and some muffled snickering from Leo and Bree, but none more than Perry's.

Perry huffed. "I've never -"

"_That_ explains why you're _so uptight_," Douglas interrupted smoothly. This time, I had to bite my fist to keep in a less-than-manly giggling fit. Oly hid her beak under her wing, Leo and Davenport were using both of their hands to cover their mouths, and Bree had to speed out of the room. Adam just frowned with confusion while Tasha looked mortified and ready to kill at the same time.

Perry gaped for a few seconds before, upon failing to think of a comback, she punched his shoulder - he rubbed it a bit, but was still wearing his shit-eating grin - and started walking back towards the door, her check in hand. However, she stopped just outside the door and pulled out a wrinkled twenty dollar bill. "Got change for this, Lady Locks?" she asked me, obviously going for an "easier" target.

Game on.

I laid the mail down on the floor and fished around in my pocket, finally producing some money. "I have fourteen dollars and twelve cents. And _this_," I said, quickly scooping up a useless cat figurine from beside the couch, "is about six dollars." I smiled. "Don't worry, though: I can do money magic. Bionic talent and all." As I spoke very rapidly, I took and gave her the corresponding amounts. "I'll give you the fourteen and the cat. Now, you give me eleven back. Okay, now here's $5.12 for you. Let me see the cat. Here's another two dollars. Now you give me your $30.12. And here's the cat!" I pushed the figurine into her hands before slamming the door shut, locking it.

It took a solid ten seconds for her to realize what just happened. Howling with rage, she started banging on the door. "Eddy, get her out of here," I hissed.

"Yay!" The program cheered, showing up on screen. I rolled my eyes. He _loved_ to send people packing.

As Perry's attempt to break down the door abruptly stopped, I scooped up the mail again. In the dining area, Douglas started laughing and clapping, a one-man sitting ovation. Mr. Davenport found his voice after a second. "I thought you didn't -"

"I didn't know he could do that," Douglas defended immediately. "Don't blame me. He learned it somewhere else. By the way, that was nicely done," he complimented.

Unable to resist, I gave a bow.

Adam started poking Leo. "What just happened?"

Leo - who had been staring at me with wide eyes like I was a miniature Krane - pointed at me. "Did you just...He just took Perry for twenty bucks!"

I shrugged, assuming that we'd just drop it now, and opened my mouth to draw attention the suspicious letter I was holding when Tasha - sweet, sweet, oh-so-terrifying mother of mine - turned her full wrath on Douglas and I.

It was a very dark, loud, angry blur.

People may tell you that Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, but trust me: They've _never_ incurred the wrath of Tasha Davenport.

* * *

**Sucky ending, but it was getting long. Can't give ya'll the whole story all at once. ;)**

**Besides, it's time for my 100 reviews fun thing.**

**Chase got a lot of demon powers.**

**Adam can charm demons.**

**So guess who came to me and asked for another ability, too?**

**Miss Bree.**

**It seemed fair, but I couldn't decide on what.**

**So you, my fine review trolls, get to take a crack at it.**

**Suggest an ability for Bree. We'll pick the two we like the most and list them next chapter so you can vote.**

**Bree will love you forever. :3**

**Anyways, with Perry sent packing, I better roll out as well.**

**Enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	18. Chapter 18 - Politics and Bonds

**After some intense deliberation – chairs were flying and stuff – Bree and I finally narrowed the options down to two of you suggestions. So it's up to you, people:**

**_Pathokenesis_****: The ability to control the emotions of others.**

**_The Sight_****: See the planes.**

**Vote now or forever hold your peace. :P**

**We didn't pick ****_Weapon Manipulation_**** because something huge is coming far down the road that would cause her to become extremely overpowered if she had that ability. Sorry, Hon'. :(**

**Meanwhile, thanks for all your reviews, people. :3 It makes me happy 'n' stuff.**

**DisneyXDGirl:**** It takes a tough person to run the Chalas Gauntlet. Perry was ill-prepared.**

**Vampire Girl****: "Where was this Superman thing when we were fending off Jasper?! D: "**

**AllAmericanSlurp****: On a rage scale of one to everybody's gonna die, Tasha's around a "Godzilla tearing through Tokyo after discovering that his girlfriend cheated on him" level. Douglas shouldn't make such lewd implications and Chase shouldn't steal. It pisses her off. :3**

**Moonlit****: There you went! :D I was scouring the news for rumors of demon-related assassinations while you were gone. You covered your tracks very well. :3**

**This is still more filler, but I liked the end. It's all touching and one of those "you'll get it if you've been paying attention" moments.**

**Anyway, here's Chapter Eighteen. We're getting closer to the end, people. From there…we'll see….**

**Chase?**

**"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers. Also, can someone get me down from here…? I'm kind of trapped."**

* * *

**_"_**_Corruption: I want either less corruption or more opportunity to participate in it."_

**Unknown**

* * *

_"Please pass me that parenting handbook. I need to smack my kid with it."_

**Unknown**

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen – Shocking Politics and Family Bonds**

**_Chase_**

Ask anyone else, and we were upstairs, plotting petty thefts, acts of arson and various public indecencies.

Truthfully, Douglas and I were hiding from a still-irate Tasha like the manly men we were.

Seriously; _Jasper_ would run from her.

Oly had immediately flapped off and was currently nowhere to be found. She was more than likely digging through Bree's more shiny objects at the moment. Adam, Leo and Yahn had wisely vanished down to the Lab. Mr. Davenport remained, but he stayed quiet, just staring at me like he was disappointed and disturbed. Almost like I wasn't even his son anymore. Just a thieving stranger who happened to be staying under the same roof.

Even with Tasha yelling, his reaction bothered me the most. Come on: Homeless kids need money to eat, too. What I did wasn't the worst thing I could have done.

Anyways, it had taken ten minutes of verbal lashing before I found an excuse and fled to my room upstairs, abandoning Douglas to his fate.

Every demon for himself, right?

Of course,_ Douglas_ wasn't pleased when he showed up at my door twenty minutes after _that_.

Which is how I ended up as a cat, safely perched on top of a book case and out of his reach.

He was leaning against the wall beside the bookshelf, his arms crossed as he watched me. "Come on, Chasey," he coaxed, his voice gentle even though his eyes _weren't_. "I'm not mad."

Lies, I tells ya! He'd probably make me hold hands with Oly again. Or worse: Do math equations involving _estimation_. Like _hell_ I was coming down! "I'm good up here. Thanks, though."

"I'll teach you how to pick pockets," he offered.

"I don't want to pick pockets, though," I informed him. Something about sticking your fingers in someone's pocket without them knowing just struck me as too intimate.

"What about tricks for conning, since you're already quite a quick-change artist?"

I laid down on my stomach, tucking my paws near my body and wrapping my tail around myself to let him know wordlessly that I was staying up there for a while.

He sighed and rubbed his eyes before looking at me again. "All right. Stay there. I have _all day."_ He pushed away from the wall and crossed the room, picking up a book from my desk - the _nerve_ of this guy, just messing up my perfectly organized desk by moving my Stephen King novel, _Under the Dome: Part Two _- and sitting on the foot of my bed, where he crossed his legs and started silently reading.

All right, Douglas. I could outlast you. Just watch me.

_ You could just kill him. Then, you could leave anytime you wanted._

It took all of five minutes to realize that he held the upper hand in the situation after all. He wouldn't have to deal with the itchy pain that came with maintaining different forms if this went on for a few hours, he had the freedom to come and go as he pleased while I was stuck on a narrow platform, and - this is the most important part – _he had something to do_.

That's right. I was basically treed and knew I'd be bored soon.

Well...kind of. I _did_ still have Tasha's invitation. I had pulled it up with me when I heard him coming. I supposed I could stare at it indefinitely and try to think of more solid evidence to pin on it. Right now, all I had was speculation. We couldn't act on that.

I sat up and pawed at the folded letter - I wish cats had thumbs - until it opened. Placing my forepaw on the top of it and sitting on the bottom to keep it from folding, I examined the suspicious text again.

"What'cha got there?" Douglas asked absently, not taking his eyes off the book.

"A letter for Tasha," I answered, flicking my tail in his direction. "It's probably just me being paranoid, but..."

Paling a bit, Douglas' head snapped up, his eyes boring into me like lasers. "You stole that banshee's mail!? Are you _trying_ to get us killed?!"

"Just look," I sighed, standing up and batting the paper onto the floor. I had just lost the only thing I could amuse myself with up there.

Douglas frowned, put the book down and pushed himself to his feet with a wince. It was my turn to frown as I watched him pick up the letter. "You know, you really should say something. It's not hard. Just walk up and say, 'Hey! I broke my rib because I can't gauge jumping distances accurately!'"

"I'm fine," he responded immediately, feigning indifference as he read the invitation. "Besides, you can't do anything about broken ribs."

"You're a stubborn idiot," I informed him, sitting and curling my tail around my paws. "There are probably a lot of painkillers around here just _dying_ for you to take them."

He smiled a bit. "Since when are you a pill-whisperer?"

"Since two seconds ago," I answered, rolling my eyes. "Can't you hear them calling?"

_"Still_ a smart-assed punk, I see," he remarked.

"Damn straight." I leaned over the edge of the shelf a bit, my whiskers twitching as I spoke. "So...am I seeing things where they aren't, or is that letter suspicious?"

"It's an unusual request," Douglas admitted with a frown of concentration. "But it could be nothing." After a second of hesitating, he added, "The place sounds familiar, though."

"I'd hit you if it didn't," I sniffed. "I mean, how much more obvious can you get than Mission Creek City Hall? Even if it's a new one, it's still pretty obvious that it's a _city hall._"

"Not that," he said, waving my words away. "I mean in regards to it holding an event." He looked at me again. "Still able to hook up to Wi-Fi, Chase?"

"Yes," I informed him. "Why?"

"Look this thing up," he said, sounding annoyed, like it should've been obvious what he was getting at.

Well, in hindsight….

I muttered a bit, but laid my head down on the bookshelf and rested my paws on top of it. When the screen popped up in front of my eyes, I switched Wi-Fi on before mumbling, "Look up new Mission Creek City Hall opening."

Information instantly flooded my vision. Addresses, times, the order of the ceremony. It was all fairly useless.

But for one thing.

"Lovett is the Master of Ceremonies," I informed Douglas as I shut down the information thread and moved my paws, raising my head and sitting up to look at him again.

"_I knew it!"_ Douglas suddenly declared, his eyes flashing with excitement. "My memory is _awesome!"_

_ "I_ had to look it up for you," I protested.

He waved his hand at me, his attention now back on the letter. He was grinning like a maniac. It was slightly alarming, to be honest. Maybe I should've called the lovely men in the white coats to come take him away for a bit. "This is where he'll strike," he was mumbling rapidly. "Lovett, you _genius. _Taking out more than half of the Council all at once _and_ us while advancing your political position. I admire thy planning skills!"

I rolled my eyes at his dramatic declaration. "Care to share with the rest of the class?"

Douglas paused and looked up at me as if he just remembered I was there. "Right, right; this kind of event is a common gathering place for summoners and the Council. I can't give you a full list – Oly failed to get one a few weeks back - but I know that several important people – Mission Creek's mayor, two state senators and a state representative, the California Land Commissioner; people like that – are going to show up to an event like this."

"Wait, all those people are _summoners?"_ I asked, my eyes widening. "And why were you stalking them _before_ we knew about this?"

"The Council has a _lot_ of powerful members," Douglas informed me. "And I like to know where those people are. Sometimes, they need people who are…." He searched for the right phrasing. "Less lawfully inclined. And they pay a lot, too."

Of course. I mean, I wasn't exactly clean myself – I had done quite a few things I wasn't proud of in the three months I was on my own; conned a few people out of their money with false products, frequently did my quick-change trick with random cashiers, that sort of thing - but it wasn't like I was just _looking_ for trouble. "You're going to get arrested someday," I warned.

"I'm taking you down with me," he threatened teasingly.

"The only thing that needs taking is that letter to everyone downstairs," I responded.

His whole excited demeanor suddenly dropped to one of reluctance and slight fear. "Maybe we should wait until Tasha's in a better mood. Say, tomorrow? This says it isn't for another week, anyways."

"This evening," I negotiated.

After several seconds of silence, he finally nodded. "On one condition: _You_ give her the letter back. You might actually _survive_ that encounter."

What a coward. "Fine."

* * *

_"The difference between school and life? In school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson."_

**Tom Bodett**

* * *

_"My sister. My friend."_

**Unknown**

* * *

**_Bree_**

Apparently, Tasha had been so upset that she didn't make dinner.

And, as selfish as it sounded, Bree was hungry and a little peeved that no one had made anything_._ It didn't help her mood that Adam and Yahn had been in the Lab the rest of the day with Leo, all three seeming to discuss when Chase became a thief. Bree had obviously missed something important when she left the room earlier when Perry was around, but she didn't really feel like asking. It was complicated enough getting used to Chase as a demon-thing. She didn't want to deal with the idea that he was a criminal, too.

She irritably pulled a bowl out of the cabinets, deciding that cereal was the easiest thing she could make on short notice. Neither Davenport nor Tasha were anywhere to be seen, that Oly thing was probably lurking around in the shadows somewhere, and Douglas and Chase were probably sheltering from Tasha's wrath, so Bree was all alone to her thoughts in the kitchen as she poured a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and pulled the milk out of the refrigerator. She wished fleetingly that someone was around that she could talk to, but dismissed the thought. With the household being as tense as it was over the past two days, she figured that any discussion would devolve into useless quarrels or uncomfortable silence.

Everything would be nice if Douglas would just _leave._ Just because his home burned down didn't mean that he had to stay with them. She was all for kicking him out, but Chase might leave with him, which _wouldn't_ be nice. So, for the sake of keeping her younger brother around, she held her tongue when it came to Douglas and his two demon friends.

She pulled a spoon from a drawer and closed it a bit hard to help vent some of the frustration and stress.

"Bree?"

She jumped and whipped around to face the stairs, her spoon held like a weapon in front of her. Then, a second later, she nearly threw it at Chase, who was standing near the foot of the stairs now, holding a paper and appearing very upset, very nervous. He backed up a step, holding his hands up in a gesture that suggested innocence. "Calm down there," he said. "Are you all right, or do I have to fend off your spoon-fencing?"

"Don't sneak up on me," Bree hissed, stamping her foot a bit as she lowered the spoon.

"Noted," Chase responded, nodding a bit.

After several seconds of silence, Bree felt her irritation give way to concern. Chase still looked visibly torn, like he wanted to run, but wanted to stay at the same time. It was a bit alarming, to say the least. So, big sister instinct kicking in, she sighed and took a step towards him. "What's wrong?"

Chase looked at the paper in his hands for a moment. Just when Bree was afraid that he wasn't going to answer her, he looked at her again. Or, rather, at her feet. His voice, when he spoke, sounded small, as if he didn't know what to do. "I was looking for Tasha and Mr. Davenport –"

"I don't know where they are," Bree interrupted.

"_I_ do," Chase responded, nodding down the hallway beside the kitchen. "They're in his office. I…I was going to give them this," he continued, waving the paper a bit, "but I don't think they want to be disturbed."

"What is it?" Bree asked, walking towards her brother now with her hand outstretched. He handed it to her shyly, his hand shaking. As Bree examined it – an obvious invitation with a sentence about Tasha bringing the whole family underlined and the word "Lovett" written neatly beside it – Chase ran a hand through his hair. _His hair is getting kind of long_, she noted with a slight jolt, feeling a little bad that she hadn't seen it before. It wasn't long enough to hang down, but his spiky style was less defined now. It was amazing what three months could do.

"I don't think they want to be disturbed, though," Chase finally said, shuffling his feet a bit as a signature pout showed up on his face. Oh yeah, something was bothering him.

"Seriously, what's wrong?" Bree asked again. He had started an explanation before. Maybe he would actually tell her this time.

"It's nothing," he answered. "They're just…talking…." He swallowed hard.

Oh, right. He had super-sensitive hearing. If his reaction was anything to go by, he must have heard them say something very distressing. "What did you hear?"

He shook his head, an insincere half-smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Like I said, it's nothing."

"Chase, this is obviously important," Bree countered, gesturing at the paper in her hands. "What are they saying that made you _not_ want to tell them something like this?"

"Bree, just let it go," he said quietly.

She could've grabbed his shoulders and shaken him right then. She was trying to _help, _but he was just shutting her out. "Chase – "

"I found something for you."

Taken aback by his interruption – it was an extremely random one, to say the least; he was obviously hunting for a subject change – she found herself watching as he dug around in his pocket. "I found it in the back of the cop car a couple of nights ago," he explained. "I know it's not much, but I thought you might like it."

Whatever he held when he pulled his hand from his pocket was obscured from her view. "You found something in the back of a cop car that you want _me_ to have?" she asked suspiciously. Who knew what he had?

He took her hand and dropped something into it. It felt small and round in her palm. "It's safe," he assured. "I promise." Before she could look at it, he closed her fist around the object. "Anyways, if you could _not_ mention I was down here and just leave that on the counter or something, I'd really appreciate it."

"But can't you just take it to them?" Bree asked helplessly. Whatever they had said, Bree figured that it was better that they talked it out with Chase now. "They probably want to talk to you."

"Actually, they're talking _about_ me," he responded quietly. "I don't want to listen to it anymore." After a second, he reached forward and took her shoulder in his hand. "You know that you're the best sister I could have asked for, right? Don't forget that. Ever." With that, he let go and trotted up the stairs, his wings in full view and his tail bobbing a bit until he was out of sight.

Bree watched him go, so taken aback by his declaration that it took her several seconds to open her hand and see what he had left there.

Nestled in the indention of her palm was a clear glass bead. It had two lines - one pink and one red - that spun around one another straight through the middle and caught the light in just the perfect way, causing the colors to almost dance when she moved her hand to make it roll a bit.

With a massive grin, she swallowed back tears – why she tended to cry when they were happy or touched, she would never fully understand – and closed her hand around the bead again.

* * *

**Hmm…I wonder what Chase heard….**

**Actually, I don't. I already know.**

**HA HA HA HA HA!**

**So, don't forget to vote on Bree's new power/ability. Or don't and live with what the others choose.**

**And review. Or, again, don't. :P Really doesn't matter.**

**Enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	19. Chapter 19 - Decisions, Decisions

**Hello, world of fanfiction!**

**All right, as of the second this was published, the general consensus is that Bree now gets ****_The Sight. _****Note, it may take a while to show up, but I already know how it does. ;)**

**We'd like to thank you all for your help and your interaction. :3**

**Meanwhile, your reviews are still making warm, fuzzy feels occur. :D**

**Vampire Girl:**** …strangely, I want to see the end of that….**

**DisneyXDGirl****: Yes; Douglas, though infinitely awesome, does deserve the occasional "behave yourself" smack upside the head.**

**AllAmericanSlurp:**** O_o Calm down there… *Backs away slowly***

**This chapter time skips. It is complete filler. Totally. Sad day, right? Anyways, let's just do it. Miss Tasha?  
**

**"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

_"Who are you trying to impress, steadily creating a mess?"_**  
**

**Jose Gonzalez, "Far Away"  
**

* * *

_ "The problem, simply put, is that we cannot choose everything simultaneously. So we live in danger of becoming paralyzed by indecision, terrified that every choice might be the wrong choice."  
_  
**Elizabeth Gilbert, _Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage_ **

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen - Decisions, Decisions  
**

**_Chase_**

"It's fucking _unbelievable," _ I hissed loudly, pacing at the foot of Douglas' bed with my ears pinned. "After the crap we spent the past several days going through, how could they _do_ this?"

"I'm surprised they didn't do something sooner," Douglas responded quietly. He was sitting at his desk, leaning back in the chair with a strained expression. "What did you honestly expect?"

I froze mid stride and turned to face him fully, gesturing broadly with my arms. "I..." I trailed off suddenly, my arms dropping to my sides. Because what_ had_ I expected? Everything to just be perfect immediately? That we'd all just be one big, happy family? After several seconds, I sat on the floor beside him with a heavy sigh, my legs crossed as I ran a hand down my face. "I don't know," I finally groaned. "I don't know what I expected." With a heavy sigh, I asked, "How do we get out of this?"

"Right now," Douglas answered, "we pretend that we don't know. They said that they're going to hold off until the threat passed, right? That gives us about a week."

_ "Then_ what?" I asked cautiously.

"Then, we run," Oly piped up. She was sitting on the bed, licking rhinestones from Bree's possessions and placing them meticulously on her wings. "What else is there to do?"

"But no one should _have_ to run," I protested, standing up and pacing again. I couldn't hold still.

"No one should have to send their sons off to war, either," Douglas reasoned as he watched me. "Life isn't always fair."

_Which is why you should rule it,_ my voice put in. _Raise hell, destroy everything, and force the mortals to acknowledge you as their master. _Then_ see how unfair life is when people are doing your bidding._

I ignored this…tempting offer. "I know, but..." I was at a loss for words again as I responded to Douglas. Finally, I just pointed at him. "You know, if you hadn't pulled all of that Triton App _bullshit -"_

"I know, smartass," Douglas interrupted, actually smiling a bit at my bold statement. "I know how we got into this situation. But there's nothing I can do about it now."

I let out an inhuman growl of frustration and sat down again, this time on the bed next to Oly, who licked a rhinestone and stuck it to my nose with a smirk. As I swatted it off, she said, "Listen: We can either stick around and let Master get arrested, or we can run." She stuck another rhinestone on her left wing. "I don't know about _you_, but _I _don't want to be stuck here forever. And if Master's arrested, he can't Dismiss us."

There it was: The problem of the day. Tasha and Davenport were planning on calling the police and having Douglas arrested as soon as his presence wasn't necessary. Something about him being a bad influence ("The man _belongs_ in a prison cell. You saw what Chase did out there! What _else_ did that maniac teach him?"). Honestly, he didn't teach me anything about criminal activities. I just figured those out. It wasn't all that hard. And, when it came right down to it, he wasn't really that bad of a guy. But that didn't matter to them. Why?

Because Douglas was…well, _Douglas._

So he had to go. Apparently, it was for my own good.

It wasn't like I was robbing banks or anything.

Although I could see where they were coming from, I wasn't inclined to agree with their decision.

"So…that's it?" I finally asked, feeling utterly helpless. "You just vanish off into the sunset while everyone still hates you like none of this happened?"

"Don't look so upset," Douglas responded. "It was going to happen sometime."

"I'll be upset if I want to," I muttered, pinning my ears. I gestured at him. "Where will you even go?"

"Europe seems nice," Oly answered.

I shoved her off the bed with a growl. Ignoring her indignant protests, I stood up again. "I'm _serious._ Your house just burned down and the city will be _crawling_ with policemen looking for you."

"What?" Douglas asked as I started pacing once more. "You don't think I could get to Europe?"

"Fine," I sighed. "How?"

He leaned forward in his chair and caught my arms gently. "First off, sit. You're fidgeting is driving me up a wall." I glared at him for a second before I sat down on the floor in front of him. "Second," he continued, "you know I have my ways."

Right; international criminal, at your service. Of course he had ways.

"I can get out of this," he reassured me quietly.

We left the million-dollar question unspoken, though: What about _me?_ What would _I_ do? On one hand, I really didn't want to leave again. On the other, I couldn't just leave Douglas to his fate. Not after everything he went through to protect us from Krane. It wouldn't be right.

Hey, thanks for saving our lives, second Dad. Bye now!

See? Harsh, right?

Besides, I'd have more of an advantage working with someone who moved constantly. It would make us hard to track down, since that was probably what Krane was working on at the moment. He knew about the house. It was constant. It didn't change.

But if Douglas and I were to be, say…_elsewhere_…then we could strike from the shadows.

But would my family even let me leave with Douglas? Probably not. And there was the comfort and security of home and family here.

Hell-and-a-half; I didn't know what to do. It felt _disgusting._

I was snapped from these thoughts by Oly, who punched my shoulder for pushing her off the bed. "You coming with us?" she asked while she started gathering up her scattered rhinestones.

"I…." I looked from her to Douglas before finally closing my eyes and covering them with my hand, my head hanging down a bit. "I don't know," I admitted.

"It's not that hard of a decision," Oly growled. "It's a 'yes – or – no' type of question."

"Don't bother him, Oly," Douglas sighed. She winced, but didn't say anything else. He turned his gaze on me. It was unreadable. "You don't have to decide right now. You have a week. But we're leaving right after whatever this thing is goes down. Whether or not you're with us."

I nodded sadly. Did I mention how unfair life is?

Life is _unfair._

* * *

The week that followed was filled with speculation and safety plans. Yahn had obtained a copy of the building's blueprints from the city's courthouse through questionable means, so we were able to map out several escape routes. The problem was that we couldn't save everyone that would be in that place without telling them what was going on.

That just wasn't going to happen. We had criminals and bionic people among us. We couldn't exactly walk up to someone and just explain what would go down. We'd be arrested.

So, with grim determination, we debated action plans, including the inevitable option of just not showing up at all.

Douglas was all for it. Who cared if a bunch of people we never met died?

Mr. Davenport shut it down. If we could save them, we had to do it.

So the planning went on.

Sometimes, it was just the two of them working together at night, when everyone else was supposed to be resting. It would've been a nice bonding experience, had no one known about the plan to get Douglas arrested. Of course, no one knew that Douglas and I knew, so we maintained an oblivious façade before the family. In fact, not even Bree, Adam, and Leo were aware of the plot. It was surprising how well this secret was being kept.

Bree and Leo had more creative ideas. They tried to come up with ways to outfox Lovett before anything could happen. We ran into a problem with Jasper, though. Oly had reported that Jasper clung to Lovett's side now, as the summoner had taken to wearing Azazel's Bane around his neck.

Adam just wanted to go in and yell that everyone should leave because they were in danger. It was beautiful in its simplicity, really, but it wouldn't work. We might as well have marched in with signs that read, "The End is Nigh!" No one would believe us.

Douglas and Mr. Davenport – in a rare moment of agreement – wanted this to stay a rather covert mission. With two imps and myself at their disposal, we could stay well hidden among the crowd. It was likely the best idea out of all proposed, even if it was vague. Who would suspect that little gnats or puffs of smoke were sneaking in to stop an evil plot? It would get us close enough to Lovett to possibly discover his full plan before it was put into action.

Then the Jasper thing popped up again.

There was no good answer here.

Unable to come up with any plan that hadn't been covered by the previous three, I had cast my vote in for the third. Oly had wanted to go with Adam's idea – the chaos that would ensue if people actually _did_ try to leave appealed to her greatly. Yahn had agreed with Bree and Leo; strike first because it would be unexpected.

On top of all of that, as days went on, I _still_ didn't know what to do. Did I leave? Did I stay? Or did I try to convince them that they shouldn't have Douglas arrested?

I was at a total loss. It sucked.

The day before the event, a half-baked plan fell into place, modelling Mr. Davenport's and Douglas' proposed structure. It was shoddy at best, but it was all we could do. It would allow us the most flexibility if the wild card that was Krane put in an appearance.

That night, I couldn't sleep. We might have had a plan, but _I_ still didn't. And, like everything we had been working all week for, this all went down the next day. My time was basically up. I stared at the ceiling for hours, a tempest of indecision tying knots in my stomach. The smartest man alive didn't know what to do. It was a horrifying thought. The stupid thunderstorm outside wasn't helping me at all, either. It was noisy and hurt my ears, making it hard for me to think. It was like the atmosphere was trying to illustrate my mood for me.

Thanks, environment.

My alarm clock had read 3:59 A.M. in the brightest green before I finally drifted into an uneasy slumber, my dreams filled with all the what-ifs that could go wrong when everything would come together in the morning.

* * *

**Very short. Very transitional. Actually quite a boring chapter, to be honest.  
**  
**But that's okay, because shit's going down in the next one!**

**At least we know what Chase heard in the last chapter, right?**

**So feel free to review. Or don't. :3 Whatever.**

**And enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	20. Chapter 20 - At the Sound of the Horn

**Here we are: Chapter twenty.**

**I was listening to "My Immortal" by Evanescence when writing the first part. So if it seems a bit reflective in a sad way, blame the song!**

**Also, when I wrote most of the rest of this, I was at work hiding in the back from a tornado with about fifty other employees and upside of seventy customers and people who lived around seeking shelter. Some prayed, others chatted and called home to warn their families, others took naps, and I wrote about Demon Chase. Priorities, right? Nothing happened to us - if you ignore us having to battle flooding fire doors - but now I have a story to tell. :D Still love tornado season!**

**Be ready for a dozen and one references to the song "War" by Poets of the Fall in the next chapter or two. It's had quite a hand in inspiring this part.**

**Thanks for your reviews. :3 Or just reading. Always fun.**

**Moonlit: I would say see Chase for short and awesome, but he's actually normal height.**

**DisneyXDGirl: Well, before we get all angry, let's remind ourselves what Douglas has done to the family before, which would lead Donald to doing what he felt was necessary to keep everyone safe and out of trouble. He doesn't know where Chase picked up his skills. Douglas seems like an obvious culprit in something like that. That being said, I'll let you smack anyone you want as much as you want for $20. ;)**

**Guest: I want to tell you SO BAD...But I can't. :(**

**gg180000: Nah. Just Chase's. Poor guy's hearing is a disadvantage at times.**

**AllAmericanSlurp: "Wait, it is?! I stared at it for hours! Am I gonna die?!"**

**StealthySerpentineShadows: Oly's hot-to-trot with her rhinestone-dotted wings. :P**

**Vampire Girl: Demon Chase is a sarcastic bastard. :3**

**Anyways, let's get on with it! Mr. Davenport, fire away!**

**"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

_"Feel it coming in the air. Hear the screams from everywhere. I'm addicted to the thrill. It's a dangerous love affair. Can't be scared when it goes down. Got a problem, tell me now. Only thing that's on my mind is who's gonna run this town tonight..."_

**Jay-Z (Featuring Rihanna and Kanye West), "Run This Town (Explicit)"**

* * *

_"...When I thought that I fought this war alone, you were there by my side on the front line..."_

**Poets of the Fall, "War"**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty - At the Sound of the Horn...**

**_Chase_**

The next morning broke to an ominous fog. It was _beyond_ dismal. Worse, everyone seemed down themselves. The air was thick with apprehension as we readied ourselves to walk head first into a trap. It seemed foolish, but what could we do? We had to shut Lovett's plan down.

Whatever he was planning, that is. We were still quite iffy on the details.

It was a strange feeling, cutting holes in my mission suit to let my wings and tail hang freely. Hell, it was strange just _wearing_ it again. Especially when Adam and Bree weren't wearing theirs. They were expected to attend a formal event, after all, so they had to look the part. Adam had an instant advantage over Bree on that front; his classy tuxedo would be easier to move in than her slimming red dress. It rested just above her knees to allow her more ease if she needed to run. She forfeited heels for flats in pursuit of much the same goal.

Honestly, once Adam managed _not_ to strangle himself with his red tie, they both looked very good. It was almost like we were going to a school dance for the first time again, even if their styles were minimalist in comparison. Bree didn't even bother with much jewelry. Just a pair of small diamond earrings and the bead I'd given her - hopefully, she kept it with her; I'd gotten Douglas to help me charm it to possibly provide an advantage to the family when she figured it out (we couldn't tell her that we messed with it; she would get rid of it immediately) - on a piece of twine around her right wrist.

God, that dance felt like it happened a lifetime ago. So much had changed since then, when we had nothing more to worry about than the occasional mission and keeping our bionics a secret. Before we even knew about Krane. Before we even knew about _Douglas_.

How time had changed us all.

"Where are you going to be, Chase?" Bree asked while she examined herself in one of the Lab's mirrors.

I snapped out of my reminiscing and cracked my neck. "Here and there. Before the ceremony starts, I'm going to be scouring the place with Oly. Once Lovett starts, though, we'll be in that room with you. You probably won't see us, but we'll be there."

"Yahn's staying with us, right?" Adam asked anxiously even though he knew that Yahn would indeed be near him and the others at all times.

Adam needed to speak more. Just saying. His voice was _beautiful_.

I nodded at him. "Right."

"And Douglas will be...?" Bree inquired further.

"Around," I answered. "He'll be around, working for any advantage we can get." It was the third time they had asked about mine and Douglas' side of the plan. We were the covert part of the operation, so our roles weren't perfectly defined like everyone else's. Theirs were easy: Stay on your toes and be ready to either flee or spring into action. Against what, though, we were still unsure. It made vigilance hard - I mean, what the _hell_ were we supposed to be looking for? - but we would cross that bridge when we got there.

Adam nodded and cracked his neck. "Who's ready?"

"I am," Bree answered immediately.

It kind of stung that Adam was taking the lead, to be honest. However, in my absence, _someone_ had to. I decided to let it slide.

Just this once.

"Let's do this," I answered, flexing my fingers a bit in the black gloves that I wore to acquaint myself once more with the feeling. It was like a second skin.

I know what you're thinking: "But Chase, you wear second skins all the time when you change forms, don't you?"

Yes, but gloves are different. They just are.

Mr. Davenport and Leo entered the Lab, both dressed in business suits. I wondered briefly why Adam wasn't wearing one, but decided not to ask. Who cared, really?

Leo handed Bree a small com' set. It was designed to fit discreetly in her ear, but she still brushed her hair to hide the ear it was in. Throw in a small flower clip to hold back the other side of her hair, and she was good to go. Mr. Davenport was wrestling Adam's onto his tie, where it could be accessed both by Adam and Yahn.

Because who else would the imp stick around, right? Even hidden, Yahn was likely to cling to Adam.

Leo caught my attention again when he held a com' set out to me. I smiled and took it, placing it in my left ear. As it wasn't designed for cat-eared people to wear, it took a bit of work, but I finally got it situated. As Leo put his on, Mr. Davenport pressed a hand to his ear. "Mic' check."

His voice buzzed over the speaker in my ear. "Got it," I answered into my microphone even though we were in the same room.

"Heard ya," Adam confirmed.

"Good here," Bree said.

"You sound really weird over a com' set," Leo teased.

"Kid's right," I heard Douglas respond from somewhere upstairs.

"I hate this thing already," I heard Oly growl.

"It's not that bad," Tasha said.

"Then we're as ready as we can get," Mr. Davenport said, ignoring the random commentary we'd started to check that everyone was online. "Everyone stick together and watch your backs. We're walking into unknown territory."

The only response to that disheartening warning came from Douglas, who sounded uncharacteristically serious now. "Good luck, and Gods help us all."

* * *

The building itself was a grand piece of architecture. The white building stood tall and proud, columns supporting the roof on the sides while the center rose above the rest to form a domed rooftop with a spire pointing straight up in the air. A building much like every other government building, but it seemed to give off a glow of majesty that impressed.

At least, it did from outside the black wrought-iron fence where Douglas, Oly and I were crouched. We'd been dropped off far from the entrance gate to allow us to maintain an element of surprise. I was relieved to find that Douglas hadn't worn a suit - such things were hard to sneak in - but he _had_ donned a formal white button up collared shirt with a dark blue tie and khaki slacks to keep from sticking out too much. If we ended up going through mud, I was going to laugh so hard that I might jeopardize the mission.

We used the fog to our advantage as I used my molecularkenesis to create a gap in the fence large enough for Douglas to sneak through. Oly and I could just fly in, after all. Douglas couldn't. You know, humans and their limitations. What could you do?

I replaced the bars I'd messed up before nodding at Douglas, who pressed a finger to his earpiece. "We're in. Chase and Oly will scout out the more secluded areas inside. I'll be searching the places I can get access to."

"Don't get caught," was Davenport's response.

Douglas rolled his eyes. "It's like you don't even know me, Donnie."

Mr. Davenport didn't respond, and Oly started snickering. "You won't get caught. You're just casually found, right?"

I rolled my eyes this time while Douglas thumped her nose. As she rubbed it, he nodded at a side door. It appeared to lead into a kitchen area when it opened. "That's your ride, guys," he said quietly. He then hesitated before resting a hand on my shoulder. "Stay safe."

I nodded. "But if I'm caught, I'm giving your bitch-ass up."

"Deal," Douglas responded with a smile, knowing full well that I was joking. "See you guys on the other side." With thar, he patted my shoulder before seeming to melt into some bushes. It was a good thing he had finally taken some Tylenol, or all the sneaking would take its toll on his chest.

As for Oly and I, we became that most fearsome of creatures - the mighty housefly - and checked the planes. With no sign of demons or shields, we hovered around the side door and darted in when it was open. There wasn't much in there - stainless steel appliances, random chefs running around, so on - so we took our leave and found ourselves in a hallway. It had tan walls and brown mottled carpet, but was otherwise unimpressive for such a building.

I was disappointed in the architects, honestly.

While reports that nothing suspicious was happening came in regularly from the com' set, Oly flew into me as some demented way of getting my attention. "You go that way," she buzzed, gesturing towards one end of the hall with her front leg, "and I'll go the other." With that, she flitted off in her designated direction.

Constantly filtering through the planes, I flew through the first door and around an office. Nothing. So I went to the second one. Still nothing. Same with the third. And fourth. All the way down to the last one, where I had to stop.

There was a lot of residual energy coming from within.

Noting no traps, I turned into smoke and casually drifted under the door. I didn't see anything, but I could tell that something powerful had been in there recently. Though its signature was different from Azazel's Bane, it still made my essence tingle.

Whatever had been kept there was likely what Lovett planned to use in his plan.

I drifted out of the room and resumed my form as a gnat before flying rapidly towards Oly. She was leaving an office when I finally caught her. "Lovett has something powerful that _isn't_ Azazel's Bane!" I buzzed excitedly.

"What is it?"

Well...damn it. "I don't know," I answered. "It was gone when I got there."

"Then we have to get to Lovett before he uses it!" Oly exclaimed. "To the main room!" She took off at an incredible speed - for a gnat - before I could say anything, so I just flew after her. We flitted into an entrance hall of sorts - where we flew gracefully over a few people's heads - and through some heavy wooden doors into the main chamber, passing a woman who was asking summoners to dismiss their demons to prevent distraction. Most complied while the few who refused had weak imps following them around. Useless creatures.

Anyways, the room was filled with rows of folding chairs before a small stage and had an extremely high ceiling, which allowed Oly and I to ascend above everyone and avoid the prying eyes of imps. As I looked down to locate my family - they had taken seats around the front of the crowd because Mr. Davenport didn't get dressed up _not_ to be seen - Douglas - who had successfully positioned himself in the back - and possibly Krane - who was M.I.A. - I noted that the floor was thick, clear glass with red carpet beneath. I would have admired it if I wasn't focused on the podium on stage. An extremely intricate Summoner's Circle was situated discreetly behind it.

Let me educate the masses here: The more detailed and complicated the circles, the more powerful the demon that was being summoned. And this circle made mine look like kindergarden artwork in comparison.

I touched my little gnat leg to my shrunken com' set. "There's a Summoner's Circle on stage," I informed everyone. "Extremely detailed."

Before anyone could answer me, though, Lovett - Azazel's Bane around his neck - stepped out from behind the stage curtains and took his place at the podium.

Dead in the center of the circle.

I filtered through the planes and saw Jasper at plane six. He was drifting behind Lovett as a bee, thankfully oblivious to us. At least, he was for now.

Once the crowd grew silent, Lovett began to speak. "On behalf of the Mission Creek City Council, I would like to welcome you to the opening of the new Mission Creek City Hall!" Applause came from below us, but I wasn't really paying attention. Oly and I were both trying to locate the Summoner's Circle's counterpart. "Allow me to direct you attention to the ceiling for a moment," Lovett continued. Thank god Jasper didn't look up like everyone else. "See how the architects made it rise to an absolutely perfect dome? They did a fantastic job!" As another round of polite applause sounded, Oly gestured wildly towards the glass floor. Beneath it, the red carpet was being slowly pulled back while everyone was distracted.

I gasped as much as a gnat could. Encompassing the entire room was the missing Summoning Circle. I watched as the doors leading out closed quietly, no doubt to keep the people inside.

Well, shit was going to hit multiple fans. "Look beneath you!" Oly hissed into her com' set.

Both the Davenport group and Douglas glanced down. Where my family was confused, though, Douglas quietly replied, "A Summoning Circle beneath the carpet. Touché, Lovett."

"Stop fan girling!" I huffed.

I was sure someone would have responded - whether it was to agree, tell us to keep it civil, or make a snarky remark - but Lovett suddenly banged his open palm down on the podium with a wicked smile. Everyone suddenly focused on him, murmuring and a bit confused at his bold action. He stood up straighter. "It's a shame that all this hard work will be ruined so soon, isn't it?" He pulled a bronze horn - spiraled and curved; not unlike a mountain ram's - out of his jacket, causing the ruby of Azazel's Bane to catch the light for a second. "At least you won't be around to see the ruins. Aren't you lucky?"

"That's a Call!" Yahn exclaimed over the com' set. "It's for -"

"Meet Joraed!" Lovett unknowingly finished before he blew the horn, its sound like a deep wail of despair echoing all around.

About ten feet above Oly and I, a black, swirling portal split the air, its gravity immense, forcing Oly and I to flee to a safer location farther away so that we weren't sucked in.

Because Calls were special, one-use-only devices for quick summoning. What would have taken Lovett five minutes of chanting took a split second with the Call.

A massive demon - a good fifteen feet tall and almost transparent, like it was made of glass - slowly clawed its way through the portal and into reality, landing on the glass floor with enough force to crack it, missing my family and Douglas, but killing several people it _did_ step on.

Joraed had arrived.

The stunned crowed suddenly understood the situation. Several screams sounded as chaos was born, made up of people scrambling for the doors or the corners of the room, hoping to be spared. Yet in the middle of this, over the com' set, Douglas simply stated, "And we're fucked."

* * *

_**Cliffhanger, bitches!**_

**I truly _am_ evil. :3 I should make this a profession.**

**Anywho, remember to review. Or don't Seriously, it doesn't matter. :3**

**And enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	21. Chapter 21 - We Stand United

**Chapter Twenty-One! Yay!**

**So who wants to know what happens next?**

**Lucky you! Here it is!**

**All you reviewers and readers make me smile inside. :3**

**Moonlit: This story has won an astounding 1 She-Demon Seal of Approval. XD**

**Guest: Mua ha ha ha ha!**

**DisneyXDGirl: ...Chase, we might be teaching these people bad things...**

**"That sounds like a _you_ problem, Zara. :3"**

**Anyways, let's get to the excitement! Joraed?**

**"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

* * *

_"Teamwork: Because none of us is as badass as all of us."_

**Unknown**

* * *

_"...When I thought that I fought this war alone, we were one with our destinies intwined..."_

**Poets of the Fall, "War"**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-One -...We Stand United**

**_Chase_**

Joraed. It made an afrit like Jasper look like an imp.

Instinct wanted me to grovel at its feet.

Considering that the only other demons in here other than Joraed and I were imps and Jasper, though, I kind of had to shoo this demigod away.

Oly reverted to her gargoyle form, deciding that being seen was the least of her worries as Lovett started to yell. "I called you, Joraed!" He pulled Azazel's Bane away from his chest a bit. "I am your master! You can't hurt me! I have Azazel's Bane, see?" He dropped the amulet back against his chest before gesturing broadly. "_Kill_ _everyone_ _else_."

Well, Lovett missed something here. You see, Calling didn't bind a demon's will like Summoning did. So, if Joraed was so inclined, it could just refuse. However, as most demons enjoyed a little chaotic murder...

Joraed was going to indulge.

It's large form - now subject to the gravity that didn't exist in the Otherworld - moved very slowly towards the people and imps cowering against the walls. I shifted back to my normal self, flapping my wings wildly until I was airborne again. Good thing, too: I nearly punched a Chase-sized hole in the floor.

For the record, yes: As an almost-human, I could fly. My lovely raven wings weren't decorations. However, you'd freak if you saw a flying cat-kid, so I didn't do it often.

Anyways, I would need my hands to fight, and that required revealing myself.

Of course, that attracted the attention of the afrit flying towards me with murder in his eyes.

Great. An aerial battle with Jasper. I banked sharply to avoid a fireball from him and rose a bit higher while I watched Oly drop towards the ground frantically. This would _suck_.

* * *

_"...With no one wearing their real face, it's a white-out of emotion, and I've only got my brittle bones to break the fall..."_

**Poets of the Fall, "War"**

* * *

**_Bree_**

Occasional flashes of light that reflected its outline were all that Bree could see of Joraed. She and Leo were scrambling towards one of the walls with Adam, Davenport and Tasha on their heels. Their main goal at the moment was to reach Douglas, who had the luck of actually being near the stupid wall to begin with. What made the run hard was that the massive demon was causing the floor to crack and shake with every move.

A sudden weight dropping on her shoulders made Bree stumble a bit. "Keep running, Human! Mush!"

Of course. Freakin' Oly had landed on her. Where Bree would normally throw the demon off, she just kept running this time. An imp wasn't a problem at the moment.

"Where's Chase?" Tasha asked from somewhere behind.

"Look up!" Oly answered, basically yelling to be heard over the screaming crowd.

Bree chanced a look above her. Overhead, Chase and some winged Anubis-thing were flying around one another, Chase dodging and weaving to evade balls of fire sent his direction in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse.

"Bree, watch it!"

Mr. Davenport's voice made her look ahead to find herself aimed straight for Joraed's giant leg. With a yelp, she cut sideways and ended up running between the creature's legs. It was terrifying to be that close to something so obviously bloodthirsty, and heat came off of it in waves - the bottom edge of her dress actually began to smolder - but, by god, Bree made it safely (although Joraed probably hadn't even noticed her). She let out an exhilarated laugh born of adrenaline as the fire on her dress fizzled out; what a _rush_.

"Kick ass, Breezy," Oly congratulated as the imp clung to her shoulder.

A few more seconds of fleeing brought her to Douglas, who caught her arm. "You all right?" he asked.

She nodded as Leo reached them. "Okay, give me a minute," Leo panted, leaning against the wall.

"Master, Jasper is going to eat the half-breed!" Oly hissed loudly by Bree's ear.

"I can _see_ that," Douglas snapped, gesturing at the two locked in an airborne dance of death. "Just get some energy going." Concentration overtook his expression.

Mr. Davenport finally made it to the wall with Tasha hanging on to his arm, both stumbling as a particularly violent tremor rocked the glass beneath their feet. Adam threw an arm around each of their shoulders to steady them as Douglas began whispering rapidly. It was total gibberish to Bree, but she didn't say anything. Leo, however, scrunched up his nose once he caught his breath. "Great; Douglas just _had_ to lose it."

Adam looked ready to respond, but a loud, frustrated howl sounded from above, accented by several loud cracks.

* * *

_"...When the love in letters fade, it's like moving in slow motion, and we're already too late, if we arrive at all..."_

**Poets of the Fall, "War"**

* * *

**_Chase_**

Jasper was hard to shake.

Apparently, he was an afrit with a vendetta as he shot fire ball after fire ball towards me. I was doing pretty good on the dodging front, but there were a few close calls.

For example: That son of a bitch singed the feathers on the tip of my left wing.

And, because I was having to fend off this guy, I couldn't do a damn thing about Joraed.

Jasper had to go, but I didn't know how to get rid of him. Worse than that, we were both being pulled at by the gravity from the portal Joraed had used to enter our world, which made flying a total pain.

Wait, fuck that "our world" crap. This was _my_ world._ Joraed wasn't welcome in it!_

I swooped and weaved, shifting my tail a bit for balance and avoiding a few more fire balls that either hit walls, were decimated by Joraed's extreme energy - he generated a _lot_ - or sucked up by the portal overhead.

I know, I know; shit's falling up. Why?

Because screw physics.

...That sentence was _physically_ painful for me to say.

Ha! I'm funny.

Suddenly, some very loud cracks sounded behind me - my ears were not pleased - followed by Jasper howling out his frustration. I chanced a look back and saw him hovering in place now. swatting at many rapid, banging flashes of colored light that suddenly swarmed him.

I frowned. What the -

"That won't hold him long, Chase," Douglas said over my com' set.

Okay. Got some magic going on. I could live with that.

I started frantically scanning the milling crowd below as I touched my com' set. "You guys all right?"

"Chase, we're fine at the moment," Mr. Davenport answered. "But we _won't_ be if we don't get rid of this thing!"

"So how do we do that?" Tasha asked. Go Mom! Way to participate.

"You Dismiss Joraed and snap the Call in half," Oly answered.

"That thing is _bronze_," I pointed out, wearily watching Jasper as he struggled against Douglas' spell.

"Usually a group of Summoners can weaken it, but we don't have time for that," Douglas explained.

"Maybe I can snap it in half for you?" Adam offered.

After several seconds of silence, Bree spoke. "Could that work?"

"If we do it right," Douglas answered wearily.

"So we need that Call," Mr. Davenport summed up.

"And Azazel's Bane so that Joraed can't stop the Dismissal," I added, finally spotting Douglas. "Quick question: Why are you on stage, Douglas?"

"I'm _not_. Don't do drugs, kid."

Confused, I ran through the planes and felt a smirk appear when I realized what was going on. Before I could tell them, though, the Douglas on stage started jumping around. "Look at me, you disgusting titan! Yeah, Joraed; I mean _you!"_

Joraed turned and faced Lovett and Douglas on stage.

Around that time, Jasper was finally freed from whatever Douglas did and launched himself at me, his eyes filled with anger. I let out a manly shriek that may or may not have sounded like "I'm too young to die" and pulled my wings in tight, dropping six feet before catching myself again. Jasper's weight and momentum carried him past where I was, even though he was trying to correct himself. A desperate plan formed instantly in my mind as I flew upwards. "Just watch the stage!" I hissed over the com' set before it was wretched brutally away from my ear by the portal I was drawing close to, taking several strands of dark fur with it.

Fucking _ouch_, by the way.

I watched it fly into the spinning tear in reality as I finally stopped, flying as close as I dared to the thing. Jasper was rapidly gaining, a ball of fire growing in his hands.

Please work, please work, please _work_ -

Just before Jasper ran into me, I shot to the side, watching him as he barreled past me.

My job here was done.

Jasper managed to get turned around, but not before the portal's gravity took hold. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't escape it. It looked like he was flying in place.

He roared and spat, snarling curses and threats at me as his form started to waver. Had he changed into a gnat or something, he might have escaped. But he was too proud. And as the force of the portal began to pull his essence apart like he was nothing, I only saw hatred in his eyes.

He was dying, and his last thoughts were hatred for me.

_That he hates you means that you did something right._

_There_ my little voice was. I'd missed it for a second there.

Jasper rapidly dissolved, his essence torn to shreds. The last part of him that remained after the majority of him was whipped away were his smoldering, blood-red eyes.

Still full of hatred for me.

What a sad way to die, really.

* * *

_"...And then we're caught up in the arms race - an involuntary addiction - and we're shedding every value our mothers taught. So will you please show me your real face? Draw a line in the horizon, 'cause I only need your name to know the reasons why I fought..."_

**Poets of the Fall, "War"**

* * *

**_Bree_**

Two Douglases?! The world wasn't ready for that!

Douglas, though, was. He just crossed his arms and grinned. "Sneaky little-"

"Whoa," Lovett started yelling desperately. "You can't hurt me, remember? Azazel's Bane? I still have it." He pushed the second Douglas out in front of him. Dougie Two dug his heels in, but was forced forward anyways. "Eat him instead! He's a horrible man!"

Joraed - Bree was relieved that the thing wasn't coming in their direction anymore - then seemed to laugh. When it spoke, its voice sounded like a hundred people, all speaking at once, neither male nor female. "Man? I see only a smiling imp."

As Lovett frowned with confusion, the second Douglas began to blur and shrink until _Yahn_ wrapped his hands around Azazel's Bane and Joraed's Call, retching them away violently with a shit-eating grin.

Bree suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. "Speed him over here!"

Upon Mr. Davenport's orders, Bree sprang forward at well over a hundred miles per hour - accidentally launching Oly backwards off of her shoulders - and snatched up Yahn when she reached the stage and delivering him back to the wall a split-second before Joraed's massive hand came down on the screaming Lovett, silencing the man forever.

It was strange how she actually felt sorry for the villain. _No one should have to die like that_, she thought with bile rising in her throat as she slid to a stop before Douglas.

Yahn jumped out of her arms and handed the artifacts to his master. "Nice thinking, Ajiiyahn!" Douglas congratulated enthusiastically as he took them and handed the Call to Adam. "Adam, it's important that you do this _perfectly_," Douglas began. "Right when I point at you, you snap the Call in half. Got it? If we mess up, Joraed's going to still be here." Adam nodded grimly, holding the Call in both hands, ready to break it. "Everyone," Douglas said to the rest of them, "keep one hand on Azazel's Bane."

Bree wrapped her hand around the chain with everyone but Adam, who could only touch it with his shoulder due to holding the Call. Yahn hid behind Adam's leg as Douglas started to chant gibberish again. Silently, Leo and Mr. Davenport held each others' free hands (not that they would _ever_ admit it later). Tasha hugged Bree with her free arm.

That's when the severity of the tactic became fully clear to Bree. This all hinged on Douglas and Adam's perfect timing. If one messed up, they would likely all die.

Bree wasn't very religious, but she found herself praying to anyone who would listen, begging the world's various deities to give them a little good luck.

A moment later, Douglas pointed at Adam, who snapped the Call right when Douglas said one last word and fell silent.

Nothing.

Bree thought her heart had literally stopped as panic began to fill her. Oh, god: They failed! Everyone would die!

Then a strong wind tore through the room, causing her to shrink back into Tasha to shelter a bit. A loud, ear-splitting roar sounded as Joraed seemed to fly back into the portal like it was attached to a rope that was hauling it back. The second it was out of the room, the portal vanished without a sound, leaving Chase as the only thing in the air. The room filled with silence for several long seconds. It was over. People had _survived_. They were going to live.

Chase let out an inhuman victory roar from above before yelling, "_We_ _made_ _it!"_

That triggered the flood gate. Cheers erupted all over the room as the crowd did everything from laugh giddily to embrace and cry, their imps rolling their eyes.

Bree found herself laughing like an idiot and suddenly hugging Tasha. She wasn't going to die today! Leo and Mr. Davenport were actually engaged in a victory dance while Adam and Yahn high-fived one another. Douglas - still holding Azazel's Bane, since everyone else had let go - was meticulously avoiding fragments of the ruined glass floor as he made his way to Chase, who had landed in the center of the room. Bree watched the two embrace with massive grins on their faces.

A sudden kick to Bree's shin made her jump and look down only to find a disgruntled Oly looking back at her with her tail lashing. "Next time you speed off, make sure I'm not sitting on you! Seriously, a _warning_ would have been nice."

Bree just smiled and rolled her eyes.

* * *

**There it is, Lovett's plot foiled and everyone safe.**

**Luckily, we still have a few loose ends to tie up before this ends.**

**But the end is nigh. :(**

**Anywho, feel free to review. Or don't. Your lives. :3**

**And enjoy.**

***Bows and exits***


	22. Chapter 22 - Second Chance

**Lo and behold, this will be the last chapter of Hybrid.**

**Sad day, right?**

**But all good things must come to an end, and this very short chapter is it.**

**And read the bottom before reviewing! I'm _serious_.**

**If you want to review, that is. Still not caring up in here. :3**

**Ironically, now I'd like to thank all my reviewers, my favorites listers, my followers, and my silent readers for running this very strange course with me. :3**

**Moonlit: Just one.**

**DisneyXDGirl: Chase wants to talk to you in the bottom note.**

**Vampire Girl: I don't know! Let's read and find out! XD**

**Thewriterswayoflife: It's not wrong to root for Chalas. Many do. :3 Happy to help inspire, by the way. As for how I do this so fast, I work overnight. I have two breaks and a lunch, giving me about an hour each night to write or be bored. So I write. :3**

**I'm sad that this is it. :( Who wants to do the last one?**

**"I got this. Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."**

**Thank you, Adam.**

* * *

_"...When my time comes, forget the wrongs that I've done; help me leave behind some reason to be missed. Don't resent me, and when you're feeling empty, keep me in you memory. Leave out all the rest. Leave out all the rest..."_

**Linkin Park, "Leave Out All The Rest"**

* * *

_"...I am aware now how everything's gonna be fine for me, for me, for myself..."_

**Seether, "Fine Again"**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Two - Second Chance**

**_Chase_**

Just kill _one_ afrit and dismiss _one_ massive demon, and suddenly _everyone_ wanted to meet the awesome summoner, Douglas, and his three demonic minions.

Seriously; we were surrounded by summoners eager to either learn my name - Douglas kept having to refuse that knowledge - or praise Douglas on his heroism.

It's always the summoner. We demons never got any credit.

He didn't exactly correct anyone, either. He was probably having fun being recognized for being better at something than Mr. Davenport.

_You should correct _him _with your fangs._

Meanwhile, I was occasionally growling at people who wanted to touch me - grabby assholes - and trying to listen to Mr. Davenport as he started talking quietly to Tasha, Bree, Adam, and Leo. It was hard to hear over the crowd, but I got the gist: When we got home, cops were being called, Douglas was being arrested, and Adam was hanging on to me so that I couldn't stop it.

I stopped listening after that. The conversation turned towards how to "fix" me, and I didn't want to hear it.

I thought I was just fine. I didn't think I needed fixing, no matter what they said.

I suddenly jumped a bit, by tail fur fluffing up at that thought. It didn't matter what they said.

I didn't need their approval anymore.

I knew what I knew about me; their opinions didn't change that. The revelation created an uplifting melancholy in me.

How bittersweet the moment was when I realized that I didn't care what they thought about me; I didn't _crave_ their praise, didn't feel the need to strain myself for it any longer. It was _my_ life. I didn't want to live it striving for their approval forever. I knew they loved me - duh; I loved them, too - but I no longer cared that I was kind of the outcast of the group. If I didn't have a solid place in their group, then I lead my own pack of one.

And it was time for this leader to go back to leading his own life.

_Yes, leader! Take charge!_

I nudged Douglas to get his attention as he spoke with a few men. After a moment, he finally acknowledged me. Not wanting to let political leaders know about his outlaw status, I leaned close to his ear. "He's calling the police as soon as we're home. If we're going to go, we need to do it now."

"We?" Douglas echoed quietly.

I nodded. "_We_ are going. Last I checked, Krane's still out there, and I'm not sitting at home like an idiot when I have a choice. We started this hunt together. We're going to finish it." He raised an eyebrow and swept a hand towards the rest of our family, asking a silent question. "Sure, I'll miss them," I answered. "And this will probably bring heat my way, but who cares? I have a chance to do something about this whole thing, so I'm going to do it."

"Do what you gotta do," Douglas responded, smiling at me as he threw an arm around my shoulders. He basically radiated pride and excited relief, even though he didn't draw attention to it. "But we have to get out of here. If Donnie's calling the police when we get home, then we obviously can't go there."

"Where are we going to go, anyways?" I asked. He never had told me.

"Like I said: Europe," he answered as we slowly started moving towards a door that had been kicked open with the crowd hiding our movements. "Who would look there, right?"

I furrowed my brow. "Wait, you weren't kidding about Europe? Wouldn't New York be...I don't know, _cheaper_ for us to get to?"

He shot me a look. "Again, I have my ways. Besides, you, Oly and Yahn are flying free via summoning."

_Oh_. That made a bit more sense. He'd get to wherever and summon us. One ticket for all of us.

Sometimes being a half-breed had its perks.

_Because two is stronger than one._

"Yay, vacation!" Oly cheered, jumping onto my shoulder as we made it out the door with some people still following us. "It's about damn time we took one."

However, Yahn jumped up onto Douglas' shoulder with a nervous expression, waiting until Douglas shooed the straggling onlookers away before speaking. "Master? May I ask one favor of you?"

After a second, Douglas nodded. "Shoot."

* * *

**_Leo_**

"What do you mean, 'they're _gone'?!"_ Mr. Davenport cried out.

"I mean that everyone left, and _they're_ not here," Leo explained very slowly for the second time. Beside him, Bree and Adam nodded, their expressions grim.

"But they were totally surrounded by the crowd," Tasha protested, leaning on the family car. "They couldn't have gotten out without _someone_ noticing."

"Well, let's ask," Bree said before looking around. "Oh, wait: Everyone left, remember? The building was closed."

Leo nodded. "They slipped past us."

Mr. Davenport groaned and rubbed his eyes. "Great. Just great. Douglas got away again."

Leo was a bit more concerned about Chase than Douglas, but held his tongue. He wasn't going to be the one to break the awkward silence that had engulfed them all. Besides, it wasn't like Mr. Davenport didn't care about Chase, too. He just didn't want to verbally acknowledge that Chase had gone with Douglas willingly..._again_.

Bree fidgeted a bit beside Leo while Tasha just sighed, looking a bit distant. Adam was looking back at the building, as if he could rewind time and stop Chase from vanishing. The scene was quite uncomfortable - they shod be celebrating; they had won - but no one did anything to end it.

Until a familiar gargoyle dropped from the sky and landed on the top of Adam's head. "Why is everyone so sad?"

"Yahn!" Adam reached up and took the imp in his arms, finally cradling Yahn against his chest. Yahn had a large grin on his face as he let out some demented - sounding purr.

"Wait, Yahn?!" Mr. Davenport pointed at him. "Where are Douglas and Chase?"

Yahn just shrugged. "Gone. _Long_ gone. They have an hour-long head start. But Master was nice enough to let me stay here. He'll summon me if he needs me, though, so I might disappear one day."

"Where did they go?" Tasha asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I was ordered not to tell," Yahn answered simply. "However, the half-breed wanted me to give you this." Yahn pulled a folded paper out from behind his ear and handed it to Leo.

Frowning, Leo unfolded it fully with everyone watching. Once open, Leo's eyes widened. For a second, no one could react.

Then Leo broke into a massive grin.

In his hand was the picture of the family at the beach - the very one Chase had stolen from Leo's room - and written on the white portion along the bottom were the best five words he had ever read in his life.

_Don't worry; I'll be back._

* * *

_"...Forgetting all the hurt inside you've learned to hide so well. Pretending someone else can come and save me from myself. I can't be who you are..."_

**Linkin Park, "Leave Out All The Rest"**

* * *

_"Step in front of a runaway train just to feel alive again. Pushing forward through the night, aching chest and blurry sight. It's so far, so far away..."_

**José González, "Far Away"**

* * *

_"...Tell my mother, tell my father: I've done the best I can to make them realize this is my life. I hope they understand. I'm not angry, I'm just saying sometimes "goodbye" is a second chance..."_

**Shinedown, "Second Chance"**

* * *

**That's it. There's no more. Some ending, right?**

**"That's it?! Oh, _hell_ no."**

**Damn it, Chase. What do you want?**

**"It can't end there!"**

**It just did, biz-nitch.**

**"But my story's just beginning! We're still hunting Krane, and Bree hasn't gotten The Sight yet-"**

**What do you want me to do, write a sequel?!**

**"Yes!"**

**On one condition.**

**"...I'm a little worried now..."**

**_You_ do a Q&A with your reviewing fans. If they have questions for you, you have answers.**

**"Fine."**

**Hear that? Everyone gets to play "Ask Demon-Chase" in the review section. You can do that while waiting for the sequel to Hybrid, "Hunter."**

**Coming soon to a theater near you.**

**"See that? You're _welcome_, people."**

**Enjoy, you beautiful heathens. :3**

***Bows and exits***

**Update: Chase tried to answer your questions, but it was reported as...I honestly have no idea; if it was a violation of the rules, Hybrid is, too...and taken down. Sorry. :/ Thank the anonymous reporting person, because no answers are coming your way; my inner Demon Chase refuses to channel anymore. Might be a while before he even shows back up.**

**One does not simply interrupt Demon Chase.**

**That is all.**


End file.
